Upper Thailand hit by ‘unsafe’ PM2.5 haze, Bangkok next

By The Nation

 

 

Thailand's PM2.5 pollution eased on Monday with Bangkok, the Central, East and South regions all declared “safe” by the government’s Centre for Air Pollution Mitigation (CAPM).

 

"However, the air quality in 25 North and Northeast provinces – Chiang Rai, Phayao, Chiang Mai, Nan, Lampang, Phrae, Uttaradit, Sukhothai, Phitsanulok, Tak, Kamphaeng Phet, Phetchabun, Uthai Thani, Lopburi, Saraburi, Prachin Buri, Nong Khai, Loei, Nakhon Phanom, Khon Kaen, Kalasin, Roi Et, Chaiyaphum, Ubon Ratchathani and Nakhon Ratchasima – is unsafe," said CAPM deputy spokeswoman Siwaporn Rangsiyanon.

 

Chiang Mai on Monday suffered PM2.5 levels as a high as 66 micrograms per cubic metre (μg/m3), according to the CAPM, though the popular aqicn.org website measured levels as high as 164μg/m3 over the past 48 hours. Thailand's safe level is set at 50μg/m3, twice that of the World Health Organisation.

 

The air quality in Bangkok and its vicinity would hit unsafe levels again on Wednesday and Thursday, according the CAPM forecast. Air quality in other regions is likely to improve.

 

"Therefore, we ask people to refrain from burning crops in the open air, reduce time spent on outdoor activities, use protective accessories and see a doctor if they have symptoms [such as breathing difficulties]," said the spokeswoman.

 

The CAPM is cooperating with other government agencies to tackle the PM2.5 situation.

 

"The Natural Resources and Environment Ministry has ordered its officials to collect information related to wildfire, smog and PM2.5 for provincial governors, while the Department of Local Administration has instructed its officials to prevent and resolve problems related to PM2.5 in their area, especially agricultural and community areas," Siwaporn said.

 

She added that PM2.5 levels can be monitored via the Air4Thai.com website or smartphone app, or the CAPM Facebook page. Other pollution-monitoring websites are available.

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30401767

 

-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand 2021-01-25

 

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Outside of Chiang Mai has been at unsafe levels since December

it should be considered crimes against humanity. millions of people are affected by this. how do you get a poor uneducated farmer to stop making money to eat ? 

25 minutes ago, webfact said:

"Therefore, we ask people to refrain from burning crops in the open air" said the spokeswoman.

 

 

This official appeal will turn the situation completely around, as we all know.

13 minutes ago, mr mr said:

it should be considered crimes against humanity. millions of people are affected by this. how do you get a poor uneducated farmer to stop making money to eat ? 

The government have to step in and make it worthwhile for the farmers not to burn (buy the waste).......of course they can't as they have allowed corruption to run riot since taking over and could never manage such a system.....the alternative is to enforce the law, which is never going to work.

 

So the problem simply remains.......

 

Think about this for a moment.

An unsafe level is +2.5 mg.

That means that people living in that area are being poisoned by the air that they breathe.

So this [un]elected government is urging them and the poisoners to do something about it!!!!

I may be naive, but to me surely it is the governments duty to put a stop to it??????

 

1 hour ago, Yorkshire Tea said:

Outside of Chiang Mai has been at unsafe levels since December

Tis the burning season. When I lived in Chiang Mai it would be from July to the beginning of December, then made the move to Rawaii in Phuket from December to June

The Thai Pollution Control Department is a sick Oxymoron.  The only thing they seem to be able to control are the ridiculous euphemisms they give the toxic air now associated with Thailand.  Dust Domes, Haze, Southern Winds.  The cost to the country is astounding.  Almost everyone I knew was sick over the last week with sore throats, rashes, red eyes.  This is indeed a crime against humanity.  TT LOS - Toxic Thailand, Land of Smog.

18 minutes ago, ThailandRyan said:

Tis the burning season. When I lived in Chiang Mai it would be from July to the beginning of December, then made the move to Rawaii in Phuket from December to June

Burning is all year round.  The rains between June & October are the only reason we get reasonable AQI figures, then.  3 days without rain & AQI figures head upwards.

So back to running the HEPA filter for the next four months.

Strange how Central Region is declared 'safe' when today we're getting a reading in the 90's just north of Kanchanaburi.

Well, here is Issan, and according to my car meter (which admittedly is Chinese, displayed valued varied between 9 and 29 on todays shopping junket.

 

If it's accurate, then I am content with that.

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Thailand's safe level is set at 50μg/m3, twice that of the World Health Organisation.

 

Totally misleading that is and a tacit unspoken admission they are reluctant to face the whole air pollution issue head-on like a lot of European cities have .. likely being because it'll cost a lot of money is the root cause of their unwillingness to get to grips with it ..  

1 hour ago, ThailandRyan said:

made the move to Rawaii in Phuket from December to June

Very good idea.

But 'from July to the beginning of December' is not correct for Chiang Mai.

[aqicn.org - 2020 not complete]

3 minutes ago, Yom said:

Very good idea.

But 'from July to the beginning of December' is not correct for Chiang Mai.

[aqicn.org - 2020 not complete]

Yet it was 10 years ago when I first worked in Chiang Mai.

Just now, ThailandRyan said:

10 years ago

Well, things have changed ...

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Chiang Mai on Monday suffered PM2.5 levels as a high as 66 micrograms per cubic metre (μg/m3), according to the CAPM, though the popular aqicn.org website measured levels as high as 164μg/m3 over the past 48 hours.

Very convenient.

over the past 24hrs/48hrs/one month/a year?

Some real numbers - today 8:00.

This comes from:   Chiang Rai Forum -Phrae PM2.4

                             *********************

 

 

I once considered getting screens installed on all windows in the house...so I could take advantage of fresh air flow during winter cool season....????????????????....saved me about 17,000 baht...

I have monitored the aqi daily for the past 2 years for Chiang Mai and other areas and it has never been at

at a normal level with that level being below 25 as per the World Health Organization figure.  If you look at the

wind direction for all of SE Asia, the winds blow the <deleted> air in from China.  And at this time of the year, the farmers

are burning their fields which makes matters worse.  Viet Nam, Burma and Laos are all very air polluted. 

No government wants to stand up to China because of mula. 

And why so many foreigners stay in Thailand, other than  for family reasons, is beyond me.

13 hours ago, Yom said:

Well, things have changed ...

Not much. The air is still toxic for half of the year. Averages on a chart don’t exactly count when you have days and sometimes weeks that are pure poison.

Right now, Humidity here in BKK is 92% with an AQI of 76 at my location per my PM 2.5 meter, and that of Chulalongkorn Hospital Bangkok Air Pollution: Realtime AQI.

 

Chulalongkorn Hospital, Bangkok, Thailand Air Pollution: Real-time Air Quality Index (aqicn.org)

3 minutes ago, koolkarl said:

And why so many foreigners stay in Thailand, other than  for family reasons, is beyond me.

It is getting to the stage where it is uninhabitable here.

 

 

17 hours ago, webfact said:

Therefore, we ask people to refrain from burning crops

ASK!!!

16 hours ago, mr mr said:

how do you get a poor uneducated farmer to stop making money to eat ? 

 

Laughable. Burning is bad for farming, you need to learn this. Smoking is bad for health, you probably already know this. Thai farmers do a lot of both because why then? They enjoy it, that's it. If you were to approach them to gently educate them that these things are bad for their finances, bad for their health, and bad for the health of their family and others they will just blow smoke in your face and explain to you the facts that it's their land and they do as they damn well please. There is simply no justification for their stupid behavior, so stop making up stories to pretend they are some kind of innocent victims when nothing could be further from the truth.

 

15 minutes ago, alant said:

ASK!!!

Guess the only thing that gets the "Ask, Tell, Make", are the protestors and folks who disagree with the Government here....just saying

What is the difference between unsafe and unhealthy?

 

Surely unsafe implies immediate risk whereas unhealthy means there is a more long term effect. 

45 minutes ago, Mr Meeseeks said:

It is getting to the stage where it is uninhabitable here.

 

 

Well beyond that!

8 minutes ago, VocalNeal said:

What is the difference between unsafe and unhealthy?

 

There is no healthy amount, it's just a matter of how likely and how severe health impacts will be. When you get down to PM2.5 and smaller the particles are so tiny they can go right into your blood stream when you breathe. There are just too many health complications to list, but people can expect premature death and increased hospital admissions. Most severely impacted are people with pre-existing conditions, the elderly, and children.

 

1 minute ago, canopy said:

There are just too many health complications to list,

 

So it is unhealthy but no necessarily unsafe? 

Seen signs of ( that accidental dropped cigarette ) burning locally, Banphai about 50km south of Khon Kaen, grey smoke haze; last year had black soot.