Bangkok air quality falls below safety standard on Wednesday

[snoop1130]

 

Air quality in Bangkok’s Lat Phrao, Bang Khen, Chatuchak, Lat Pla Khao, Bang Khun Thian and Bueng Kum areas today (Wednesday) is described as unhealthy to very unhealthy by the Department of Pollution Control.

 

The AQI (air quality index) at 10am showed a reading of 235 in along the Kanchanapisek Road in Bang Khun Thian district, with the level of PM2.5 dust being measured at 125 microns, followed by a 212 AQI reading in Khlong Kum sub-district in Bueng Kum district, where PM2.5 was measured at 102 microns.

 

An AQI reading from 201-300 is regarded as very unhealthy.

 

Full Story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/bangkok-air-quality-falls-below-safety-standard-on-wednesday/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2023-03-08

 

- Cigna offers a range of visa-compliant plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment, including COVID-19, up to THB 3m. For more information on all expat health insurance plans click here.

 

The most versatile and flexible rental investment and holiday home solution in Thailand - click for more information.

[bkk6060]

It is the worst I have seen in Pattaya. 

Looks like it is going to rain but just terrible filthy air

[Yorkshire Tea]

Only on Wednesday?

[kotsak]

It's been a cesspool for days.. What are these guys smoking?

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

20 minutes ago, Yorkshire Tea said:

Only on Wednesday?

 

It's been an especially bad past two weeks:

 

 

compared to the same period a year ago:

 

 

PS - for the uninitiated, RED is BAD, ORANGE is just somewhat unhealthy.

 

 

http://aqicn.org/station/thailand/gaia-12/bangkok/

 

 

Edited March 8, 2023 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

5 minutes ago, kotsak said:

 What are these guys smoking?

 

I believe it's largely sugar cane husks....  ????

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Today's air pollution in BKK put me over the edge...with the indoor PM2.5 levels without filtration running 50 to 60 micrograms of PM2.5

 

We have two separate HEPA air purifiers in our two main rooms, the living room and the main bedroom.

 

The main bedroom Sharp one, prior to this week, had been keeping up despite having a 2+ year old HEPA filter. But today it just couldn't keep up, and I was getting 20+ microgram readings even with the purifier on high... So I swapped out the old filter for a new one, and it brought the levels back down to reasonable (under 10 mcg).

 

In the living room, which is a pretty large single open living area combined with kitchen, we have a relatively high capacity Honeywell HEPA purifier that normally does the job... But today it couldn't by itself bring the room much below 15 to 20 micrograms.

 

So tonight, I brought out the bedroom unit and began running it in the living room, and the two units together on high brought the living room down to 5-10 micrograms PM2.5....

 

First time in all the years I've lived in Bangkok that I've had to move and run our two HEPA purifiers into the same room.

 

Edited March 8, 2023 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[Tom H]

8 of 10 stray cats I am feeding each day are coughing. 
I dont care anymore about people so much…

 

Weather Inversion Layers cold-warm-cold requires a total stop of burning.

 

Cambodia and Myanmar and Laos are run by idiots.

 

Thailands fire is reduced this year.

The industry and traffic issues remains open.

 

Just forbid traffic as you did during covid for some days.

 

 

 

Edited March 8, 2023 by Tom H

[John Drake]

10 minutes ago, Tom H said:

Just forbid traffic as you did during covid for some days.

Ought to do this every day that the morning readings are over 150 aqi. Just ban everything from the roads except buses and taxis. Otherwise stop the police check points while this is going on. Today, I was walking down Phutthamonthon Sai 3 and several large tractor trailer trucks pulled off to the side with their engines idling. Then saw a check point being opened up ahead. Not only cars building up into a traffic jam but trucks idling trying to figure out how to outlast it. And lots of exhaust fumes streaming into the air.

[klauskunkel]

Quote

Bangkok air quality falls below safety standard on Wednesday

Thank God it's Thursday

[internationalism]

for the last week I stay indoors with 2 air purifiers blowing directly at my face from distance 50 cm (one is in my desk, the other next to my chair.

When walking out I do feel smog in my nose and lungs, on occasions becoming painful (I had pneumonia and covid a year ago), I might start using face mask with valve for outdoors, but my 3 dogs would be suffering walking with me

[internationalism]

for the last week I stay indoors with 2 air purifiers blowing full power directly at my face from distance 50 cm (one is in my desk, the other next to my chair). I have a double benefit of cooling from their fans.

Same purifies I move onto my bed and next to my bed. 

They run now 24h.

When walking out I do feel smog in my nose and lungs, on occasions becoming painful (I had pneumonia and covid a year ago), I might start using face mask with valve for outdoors, but my 3 dogs would be suffering walking with me

Edited March 9, 2023 by internationalism

[spidermike007]

They shut down the economy due to covid. But, burning cane is ok. Can't they see the effect it is having on the air? Do they care one iota? Don't the leaders live here too? Why are they MIA? Why don't the "do nothing guys" do something for a change? 

 

When the crop burning starts to kill the population, and lowers the quality of life for those of us who don't die, isn't it time to take action? We just don't need the sugar. Shut down this toxic, heinous industry. Lock up the farmers. Sieze their land. Do whatever it takes. 

 

The government should offer incentives, for the farmers to switch crops. This is 2023! Rice and sugar worked in previous centuries. Now, they do not make any sense. Too labor intensive, too much degradation of the land, water, air, and resources. Too much population, too. Let's get with the times. Let us move forward. The boy leaders have to at least pretend to be men. 

Edited March 9, 2023 by spidermike007

[LennyW]

Been like this for last two weeks, why single out Wednesday?

 

[stoner]

14 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

too much degradation of the land

this is one of the key points of all of this. if they didn't burn they would have healthier soil and produce more crops. thus making more money and ....awwww forget it. 

 

i know... ill take my stupid ideas and show myself out. 

Edited March 9, 2023 by stoner

[ThailandRyan]

Horrible this morning in Prachuap Khiri Khan.....still smell the burning going on....my allergies are awful.  Indore machines been running on high and the air in the house is now at a reading of 21......guess I should have left them on last night.....

[spidermike007]

1 minute ago, stoner said:

this is one of the key points of all of this. if they didn't burn they would have healthier soil and produce more crops. thus making more money and ....awwww forget it. 

 

i know... ill take my stupid ideas and show myself out. 

You are talking about embracing 21st century concepts, and moving out of the stone age. 

 

The issue is that dinosaurs are very comfortable with the stone age, and don't like change or progress. 

[brewsterbudgen]

1 hour ago, ThailandRyan said:

Horrible this morning in Prachuap Khiri Khan.....still smell the burning going on....my allergies are awful.  Indore machines been running on high and the air in the house is now at a reading of 21......guess I should have left them on last night.....

I guess this is the Bangkok Forum, but the air is often far worse in places like Hua Hin, Pattaya and Rayong.  I thought I'd moved out of Bangkok for better air, but ????

[ThailandRyan]

2 minutes ago, brewsterbudgen said:

I guess this is the Bangkok Forum, but the air is often far worse in places like Hua Hin, Pattaya and Rayong.  I thought I'd moved out of Bangkok for better air, but ????

It's never that poorly down here. Bangkok is always worse and why we stay here now more often than the condo in Sathorn.

[nigelforbes]

1 hour ago, spidermike007 said:

They shut down the economy due to covid. But, burning cane is ok. Can't they see the effect it is having on the air? Do they care one iota? Don't the leaders live here too? Why are they MIA? Why don't the "do nothing guys" do something for a change? 

 

When the crop burning starts to kill the population, and lowers the quality of life for those of us who don't die, isn't it time to take action? We just don't need the sugar. Shut down this toxic, heinous industry. Lock up the farmers. Sieze their land. Do whatever it takes. 

 

The government should offer incentives, for the farmers to switch crops. This is 2023! Rice and sugar worked in previous centuries. Now, they do not make any sense. Too labor intensive, too much degradation of the land, water, air, and resources. Too much population, too. Let's get with the times. Let us move forward. The boy leaders have to at least pretend to be men. 

Thailand is the second largest net exporter of sugar in the world, it is important to their economy.

 

https://ap.fftc.org.tw/article/1840#:~:text=Thailand is ranked as the,Thai citizens and international trade.

 

As for locking up small rural farmers and seizing their land, is this a just penalty for poverty and trying to scrape a living! I get the message but that's not the solution which is elsewhere.

[RichardColeman]

Wonder if the locals get high if the fire spreads to the weed crop ? 

[LennyW]

Burn map from 6 days ago!!

[brewsterbudgen]

47 minutes ago, ThailandRyan said:

It's never that poorly down here. Bangkok is always worse and why we stay here now more often than the condo in Sathorn.

Currently 157 US AQI in Hua Hin (145 in central BKK).

[nigelforbes]

3 minutes ago, brewsterbudgen said:

Currently 157 US AQI in Hua Hin (145 in central BKK).

Ever so slightly misleading but yes, they are very similar:

 

 

https://www.iqair.com/th-en/air-quality-map/thailand/bangkok

[ThailandRyan]

29 minutes ago, brewsterbudgen said:

Currently 157 US AQI in Hua Hin (145 in central BKK).

I know, and it definitely sucks. Last year and the year before and during covid down here it was decent air. Guess with everything back in full swing everyone is burning.  

[Will B Good]

An issue I've not seen raised is roadside fires........apparently, to save the cost of managing roadside verges where we live, the authorities are setting fire to them during the burning season......presumably using this season to 'disguise' what they are doing. 

[spidermike007]

1 hour ago, nigelforbes said:

Thailand is the second largest net exporter of sugar in the world, it is important to their economy.

 

https://ap.fftc.org.tw/article/1840#:~:text=Thailand is ranked as the,Thai citizens and international trade.

 

As for locking up small rural farmers and seizing their land, is this a just penalty for poverty and trying to scrape a living! I get the message but that's not the solution which is elsewhere.

Give them an alternative. Yes sugar creates money, but at what cost to society? 

 

We are simply asking for a small degree of progress. Stop killing the people with the horrendous air. Stop the killing. 

[ThailandRyan]

3 minutes ago, Will B Good said:

An issue I've not seen raised is roadside fires........apparently, to save the cost of managing roadside verges where we live, the authorities are setting fire to them during the burning season......presumably using this season to 'disguise' what they are doing. 

The people around us are doing the same down here. Can not see the mountains.

[nigelforbes]

12 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

Give them an alternative. Yes sugar creates money, but at what cost to society? 

 

We are simply asking for a small degree of progress. Stop killing the people with the horrendous air. Stop the killing. 

Thailand has gained a huge market share, that can't easily or quickly be replaced. Farmers/growers have a choice what they grow, they chose to grow products where there is a market, can you blame them.

[spidermike007]

3 minutes ago, nigelforbes said:

Thailand has gained a huge market share, that can't easily or quickly be replaced. Farmers/growers have a choice what they grow, they chose to grow products where there is a market, can you blame them.

I do blame them. And I blame the administration for not providing alternatives. And I blame the sugar processors for buying burned cane. There is alot of blame to go around here. The air apocalypse we are witnessing is not being created in a vacuum, and the wildfires (blame game) are likely only a small part of the current issue.