Over a month now and the air quality only seems to be getting worse in Thailand. Many concerns about the hazards of smoking yet oddly unable to deal with the toxic air pollution in Thailand. You can not blame it on the surrounding countries. Oddly Malaysia the air quality throughout the country is superior to Thailand. Does no one within the Thai government have the backbone to get the farmers (huge corporations) to stop burning?

I find it hard to believe that they just let the farmers burn their crops for months and cover the whole country in dangerous pollution. In the West they would be having a fit.

March and the first week of April are statistically the worst.
Half of the fires are in protected forests. 35% in "reserved forests".
Government in denial, people getting sick.
 

Government is very active, they have set up new committees 

I'm amazed that TAT hasn't issued any advisory recommendations to discourage travel to these areas, given the hazardous smoke levels, especially in Chiang Mai. Due to their incompetence in handling this pollution, I believe it would be beneficial for the European Union and the Americas to impose travel and business activity sanctions in northwestern Thailand.

 

This would ensure that the economic burden is felt by zero tourists and no foreign businesses until the Thai government resolves this issue. However, this would also mean that major retailers like Big C, Tesco, and nearly all foreign businesses would have to close, which could have severe economic consequences.

 

Perhaps then, the Thai authorities would be forced to take action and implement measures to halt the burning, or at the very least, restrict it to controlled areas and times coinciding with occasional rain. As of now, their negligence is at 100%.

1 hour ago, Mitkof Island said:

Does no one within the Thai government have the backbone to get the farmers (huge corporations) to stop burning?

Yes 20 years ago, he got run over by a tractor. 

1 hour ago, racket said:

I'm amazed that TAT hasn't issued any advisory recommendations to discourage travel to these areas

TAT wants more tourists everywhere regardless of health hazards, they are the prime allies of the tourism industry.

Vote with your feet!

This has been happening every year at this time ,for many years already,

and the Government has done virtually nothing, buying machines to blow

water into the air in Chiang Mai city centre is as much as I have seen.

 

They know it's going to happen, and do nothing proactive ,although it's

affecting people's health, their livelihoods for those in tourist industry,

so don't hold your breath for any change soon (pun intended ) it seems

they just don't care...

 

regards worgeordie

 

 

2 hours ago, Mitkof Island said:

Oddly Malaysia the air quality throughout the country is superior to Thailand.

Peninsular Malaysia and Thailand generally have better air quality than central and northern Thailand as the onshore winds tend to bring clean air in and blow bad air away. However, during August to October, depending on how bad the burning season is in Indonesia the air can be bad on the peninsular too.

7 minutes ago, worgeordie said:

This has been happening every year at this time ,for many years already,

and the Government has done virtually nothing, buying machines to blow

water into the air in Chiang Mai city centre is as much as I have seen.

 

They know it's going to happen, and do nothing proactive ,although it's

affecting people's health, their livelihoods for those in tourist industry,

so don't hold your breath for any change soon (pun intended ) it seems

they just don't care...

 

regards worgeordie

 

 

Local govt workers burn part of the side of the road for as long as It can remember.

2 minutes ago, Kwasaki said:

Local govt workers burn part of the side of the road for as long as It can remember.

Yes , seen some doing just that the other day, but the problem is much , much

bigger than that.

 

regards Worgeordie

2 hours ago, Swiss1960 said:

Government is very active, they have set up new committees 

To count how much $$$ they have made from bribes from big corporations to allow burning to continue?

4 minutes ago, worgeordie said:

Yes , seen some doing just that the other day, but the problem is much , much

bigger than that.

 

regards Worgeordie

Yes the Thailands black snow as I call it will continue. 

I wear a mask and glasses riding my scoot or wave. 

No. They just don't seem to care. They have no pride. There are a hundred things they could be doing, starting with incentives to prevent the toxic and nasty act of sugar cane burning. If there are laws against it, they are rarely enforced. 

 

Never forget. This is the do nothing administration, and Prayuth is the do nothing PM. 

The only thing  they can do is to fund farmers cooperative ownership of harvesting and bailing machinery. When I first visited Thailand rice was harvested by hand but now rice farmers use machines.  The same is possible for sugar cane but the processors prefer burnt cane as this accelerates sugar and mollases  production and harvesters prefer burnt cane as its easier to cut by hand.  Processing companies should be made to inventivise the collection of unburnt cane using crushed pulp to fire their boilers and harvesters should have access to bailing machines.  It worked with rice and will work  with sugar cane.

????

The air in Chiangmai is already starting to be very bad, and the government does absolutely nothing. TIT.

Lots of international news coverage is required to warn tourists of this toxic air,

a few politicians need to get lung cancer and the Thai people need to be extremely vocal

or otherwise to change this stupidity.  It is disgusting.

Only one answer. NO, they will not actually do anything, except trying to give the impression they are. 

 

12 hours ago, orchis said:

March and the first week of April are statistically the worst.
Half of the fires are in protected forests. 35% in "reserved forests".
Government in denial, people getting sick.
 

Last year, vacated Chiang Mai for a month in  Koh Samui. This year a month abroad. I cannot, will not recommend anyone visiting Chiang Mai, presently. I stay inside mostly.

6 minutes ago, wwest5829 said:

Last year, vacated Chiang Mai for a month in  Koh Samui. This year a month abroad. I cannot, will not recommend anyone visiting Chiang Mai, presently. I stay inside mostly.

Sounds like a great place!

stay inside?

living the dream!

????????????‍♂️????????‍♂️

5 minutes ago, Northstar1 said:

Sounds like a great place!

stay inside?

living the dream!

????????????‍♂️????????‍♂️

Inside my house, then inside the car, then inside the Mall, restaurant, store. The big thing missing? Outdoor activities … hiking, swimming, zip line … but at age 76, been there, done that. Still, advice for anyone I care about … no, “unhealthy”!

My eyes have been hurting the past month, especially when using glasses. Thought my eyesight was getting worse. 

Just arrived in the UK and eyes completely back to normal!

The North is worst. I will never go back there, but Bangkok and Pattaya is almost as bad.  I do not recommend traveling in Thailand.

10 hours ago, wwest5829 said:

Inside my house, then inside the car, then inside the Mall, restaurant, store. The big thing missing? Outdoor activities … hiking, swimming, zip line … but at age 76, been there, done that. Still, advice for anyone I care about … no, “unhealthy”!

Perhaps if you didn’t live in such an unhealthy environment, you would still be hiking, etc, and enjoying yourself outdoors instead of the life you have?

????????‍♂️
Again, why live in such a place?

The "smoke plague" has more of an adverse effect than covid... yet the tourists keep coming.  

2 minutes ago, Lion21 said:

The North is worst. I will never go back there, but Bangkok and Pattaya is almost as bad.  I do not recommend traveling in Thailand.

During rainy season only, and then you have to deal with that.  At least it's safe to breathe the air.

 

20+ yrs and it's only gotten worse every year.   This year the worse, as seems to be 75-100 AQI everyday since the rains stopped.  Not much difference further south.

 

Some days you can't even see the hills, and they're only 10 kms away

1 hour ago, Northstar1 said:

Perhaps if you didn’t live in such an unhealthy environment, you would still be hiking, etc, and enjoying yourself outdoors instead of the life you have?

????????‍♂️
Again, why live in such a place?

Why not if I allow for the burning months? The majority of the year is great to travel in the mountainous North. The life I have is quite enjoyable and has been for over a decade now in the Lanna North.

Hills I referred to,  are westward and 10 kms away, and can't even see today.  

 

Here's that lovely surfside view, and the islands are only 2 kms away.

 

Welcome to Thailand ... Enjoy the Fresh Air