Over 1.3 million people in Thailand suffering air pollution-related diseases

[fusion58]

Between the crappy air quality and the crappy drivers, it’s easy to get the impression that life is cheap in Thailand.

[spidermike007]

Likely far more than that amount of people that are suffering right now. And the authorities do not seem to care, one iota. If they did, something would be done. Instead, only hollow promises.

 

We will enforce the ban on burning. And it never gets enforced. No penalties, no nothing. 

 

We will do something about poorly maintained diesel vehicles. And nothing is ever done, because the cops are too lazy, and the highway patrol refuses to patrol the highway, and the special hotlines you set up, do not know anything about the program, or the laws. 

 

We care about the environment. Yeah right. Another bald faced lie. You care not, you see the air, you talk about the air, and you do nothing about the air. More empty words from the "do nothing men".

[daveAustin]

Cannot really help climate and commercial burn off at this stage, but burning locally and those old <deleted> tuk-tuks should be brought to book immediately. Chiang Mai is a disaster zone for the latter. Thailand is not a third world country, but at times it behaves like it is.

[mommysboy]

3 hours ago, DUNROAMIN said:

Thailand is only part of the problem, the adjoining countries are even worse with PM levels and with prevailing winds pushing the smog into Thailand.

Not heard that as being the explanation this year or the last. Last time I checked Thailand appeared to be the biggest culprit. Most other countries improve.

[Caldera]

Every year the same mess, if not worse year after year. Are they ever going to do anything about it?

[nigelforbes]

37 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

Likely far more than that amount of people that are suffering right now. And the authorities do not seem to care, one iota. If they did, something would be done. Instead, only hollow promises.

 

We will enforce the ban on burning. And it never gets enforced. No penalties, no nothing. 

 

We will do something about poorly maintained diesel vehicles. And nothing is ever done, because the cops are too lazy, and the highway patrol refuses to patrol the highway, and the special hotlines you set up, do not know anything about the program, or the laws. 

 

We care about the environment. Yeah right. Another bald faced lie. You care not, you see the air, you talk about the air, and you do nothing about the air. More empty words from the "do nothing men".

I don't want to appear that I'm taking you to task on this repeatedly Mike but that's just not completely true.

 

All vehicles over five years old must go through a vehicle emissions test before they can be taxed. The broader problem of proactive policing is an issue that spans beyond this issue. I have to say though that having just driven from Hua Hin to Chiang Mai, I can assure you the police do patrol the highways, very much so!

 

Maximum PM2.5 levels have been reduced to fall in line with WHO and global standards, that takes effect in June and was mentioned in a Nation news article linked below.

 

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40017734

 

Thailand covers 200,000 square miles, a third of that is national park land, another fifth is protected lands. 90% of all burning occurs in national parks or on protected land, that's a huge area to try and police, how do you do that, quickly and effectively?

 

A pox on those people that call this apologist talk, it's a practical problem that doesn't have an easy or simple answer. Nobody here has been able to put a useful  practical solution on the table that we can all comment on. Instead, everyone just says, stop the burning, stupid people, stupid government, how stupid is that! You want to stop the burning and the pollution, tell us a practical way that can be done effectively without destroying the economy or the livelihood of millions of rural farmers.

 

Blast away. ????

 

 

 

[LEXUS 400]

It`s more importent to catch foreigners with 6 days overstay , then try to do somthing with the air pollution !.

[Neeranam]

5 hours ago, stoner said:

primitive minds for a primitive culture and society.

can't believe you actually said that

 

do you have any Thai friends or relatives with this "primitive mind"?

[stoner]

5 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

can't believe you actually said that

 

do you have any Thai friends or relatives with this "primitive mind"?

why can't you ? 

 

is the pollution in this area of the world a certainty or something that can be easily tackled ? 

 

the constant neglect daily by those in power all the way down to the uneducated farmer who burns their field is a clear sign to me of primitive thinking. its basic science that humans have known for how long now ? 

 

what do you call it then ? advanced modern thinking ? 

 

and yes i do have thai friends and family with this primitive mind. i try daily to educate them of the dangers of the pm 2.5 and its effects on all of our lives. 

[Neeranam]

3 minutes ago, stoner said:

and yes i do have thai friends and family with this primitive mind. i try daily to educate them of the dangers of the pm 2.5 and its effects on all of our lives. 

They must really appreciate your daily education. This is what integration and assimilation is all about ???? 

[Ratchsima]

3 hours ago, MrJ2U said:

It's all of Southeast Asia and throw in India and rural China. 

 

It's certainly not limited to Thailand and as a whole is a smaller contributor than it's neighborhood countries. 

 

I agree it's awful.  I live in the Northeast and our kids and us suffer terribly.   One of the reasons I  regret moving up here.

 

 

On some days, Thailand produces whopping 3,000 burning heat spots according to the saterlite , while neighbours only has 7-800s. Harsh law enfrocement can cut more than half of the problem , but the dont even f** consider doing it.

[Velisbef]

Yes, a big portion of it is coming from neighboring countries, but let's not forget about the amount of black smoke, full of p.m emitted from century old buses and overloaded pick up trucks and other diesel vehicles. 

 

 

[UbonEagle]

Other than the nasty hot weather, this is a good reason to give most parts of Thailand a wide berth from March until at least early June

Thats my policy now while still working offshore and will definitely be when retired ????

[nigelforbes]

47 minutes ago, Ratchsima said:

On some days, Thailand produces whopping 3,000 burning heat spots according to the saterlite , while neighbours only has 7-800s. Harsh law enfrocement can cut more than half of the problem , but the dont even f** consider doing it.

Nonsense! 

 

Hot, spots, not heat spots, (that 's the rash you get when your diaper rubs), were found last week by satellite in broadly equal numbers in Myanmar and Laos, Cambodia 2,758, Laos 3,370, Myanmar 2,809, according to Gistda.

[Phuket Pete]

If I see Black smoke bellowing from pick-up trucks 20 times a day, how come the Police never see it ?

 

[h90]

3 hours ago, daveAustin said:

Cannot really help climate and commercial burn off at this stage, but burning locally and those old <deleted> tuk-tuks should be brought to book immediately. Chiang Mai is a disaster zone for the latter. Thailand is not a third world country, but at times it behaves like it is.

the tuk-tuks in Bangkok run on liquefied gas

[metisdead]

Off topic posts and the off topic replies have been removed.

[MrJ2U]

1 hour ago, Ratchsima said:

On some days, Thailand produces whopping 3,000 burning heat spots according to the saterlite , while neighbours only has 7-800s. Harsh law enfrocement can cut more than half of the problem , but the dont even f** consider doing it

Thailand isn't even in the top 5.

 

There's no other way if farmers want to stay competitive. 

 

Unfortunate but true. 

 

 

[Burma Bill]

6 hours ago, Jiggo said:

most of the pollution is coming in the wind from Cambodia

When there is an easterly wind then maybe so. When a westerly wind blows, here in Cambodia we get smoke pollution from Thailand! Laos and Burma also contribute to air pollution throughout the region.

For reference (Wikipedia):-

 

Myanmar (Burma):Myanmar is the most polluted country in Southeast Asia. The average resident here would gain 2.7 years of life expectancy on average if particulate pollution were reduced to the WHO guideline.

[cardinalblue]

3 hours ago, Neeranam said:

can't believe you actually said that

 

do you have any Thai friends or relatives with this "primitive mind"?

Wasn’t fire associated with the caveman?

 

He has a point…it is not an advanced culture as it is stuck in its traditional ways and preservation of status quo….There is no will to change and that has been the status for the 20 years I have been here

[Elkski]

Why do some of you take the "3rd World" description of Thailand so personally?   I say it's 3rd World in quite a few ways. 

To solve this unhealthy air problem will require. 

2nd World trash collection be implemented.  But many moo bans voted not to pay the cost.   So they burn most everything including lots of plastic. They don't compost but burn all the vegetative liter. How else are the weeds along the canals and fields be cleared? 

They haven't made a law to stop the purchase of burned cane.     That would be a simple step. 

Cambodia and surrounding countries are  even poorer so I can't see this problem can be fixed in the next 50 years.  

[Stargeezr]

Really some of you posters should look at the satellite maps of air pollution. It is an Asia

problem, not just a Thailand problem. Laos, Cambodia and some other countries also burn

their cane leaves, and other crop straw, and it all is part of the pollution problem.

  Just saying.

Harvey M

[DUNROAMIN]

19 hours ago, mommysboy said:

Not heard that as being the explanation this year or the last. Last time I checked Thailand appeared to be the biggest culprit. Most other countries improve.

Google the world sattelite fire maps and then you will see who are the main culprits.

[nigelforbes]

4 minutes ago, DUNROAMIN said:

Google the world sattelite fire maps and then you will see who are the main culprits.

https://firms.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov/map/#d:2023-03-09..2023-03-10,2023-03-09;@66.5,16.0,3z

[jacko45k]

15 hours ago, Burma Bill said:

When there is an easterly wind then maybe so. When a westerly wind blows, here in Cambodia we get smoke pollution from Thailand! Laos and Burma also contribute to air pollution throughout the region.

For reference (Wikipedia):-

 

Myanmar (Burma):Myanmar is the most polluted country in Southeast Asia. The average resident here would gain 2.7 years of life expectancy on average if particulate pollution were reduced to the WHO guideline.

I believe these North Easterly winds are seasonal and occur November through March, bringing the dry cooler weather.... and coincides with the burning season. 

[Jiggo]

17 hours ago, Burma Bill said:

When there is an easterly wind then maybe so. When a westerly wind blows, here in Cambodia we get smoke pollution from Thailand! Laos and Burma also contribute to air pollution throughout the region.

For reference (Wikipedia):-

 

Myanmar (Burma):Myanmar is the most polluted country in Southeast Asia. The average resident here would gain 2.7 years of life expectancy on average if particulate pollution were reduced to the WHO guideline.

I was watching Tim Norton on his TNT YouTube Channel in the week, very interesting, had a satellite image where the fires are.

He actually reported this problem about 2 years ago, and the Thai Government censored him.  

[Xonax]

On 3/10/2023 at 3:35 AM, webfact said:

 

About 1.32 million people in Thailand were affected by air pollution-related diseases between the beginning of the year and March 5th.

And most likely way more than 10% of these will eventually die from pollution-related diseases! But who counts?

[Puccini]

On 3/10/2023 at 3:13 AM, nigelforbes said:

Rubbish!

 

Stop press, they've decided what the levels will be next:

 

From June 1, 2023, the amount of PM2.5 in the general atmosphere must not exceed 37.5 micrograms per cubic metre (μg/m3) in a 24-hour average in order to pass the safety standard.

 

The one-year average of PM2.5 must not exceed 15 μg/m3, changing from the current standard of 25 μg/m3. This new one-year average standard is effective immediately after the announcement.

 

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40017734

Thank you for the link to the article in The Nation Thailand on 14 July 2022 . Like I said, the Thai government keeps adjusting the "save" level for PM2.5, but what real action, if any, are they taking to stay within this ever-changing level?

 

14 July 2022: from https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40017734 (highlighting in bold red is mine):

Quote

From June 1, 2023, the amount of PM2.5 in the general atmosphere must not exceed 37.5 micrograms per cubic metre (μg/m3) in a 24-hour average in order to pass the safety standard...

 

2 February 2023: from https://www.thaipbsworld.com/thailand-to-reduce-the-50-micron-of-pm2-5-safety-standard-to-37-5-microns/#:~:text=Thailand will adjust the country's,PCD Director-General Pinsak Suraswadi (highlighting in bold red is mine):

Quote

Thailand will adjust the country’s standard safety level of air pollution from an average of 50 microns to 37.5 microns from June 1st...

 

10 February 2023: from https://www.thaipbsworld.com/thailands-worsening-pm2-5-problem-is-lost-in-the-fog-of-politics/#:~:text=Thailand sets the safe limit,levels go above 100 micrograms (highlighting in bold red is mine):

Quote

...Thailand sets the safe limit of PM2.5 (dust particles with a diameter of 2.5 micrometers or less) at 50 micrograms per cubic meter of air...

 

10 February 2023: from https://www.thaipbsworld.com/thailands-worsening-pm2-5-problem-is-lost-in-the-fog-of-politics/#:~:text=Thailand sets the safe limit,levels go above 100 micrograms (highlighting in bold red is mine):

Quote

From June 1, 2023, the amount of PM2.5 in the general atmosphere must not exceed 37.5 micrograms per cubic metre (μg/m3) in a 24-hour average in order to pass the safety standard.

 

[Songlaw]

On 3/10/2023 at 8:30 AM, stoner said:

well who's fault is it then ? last i checked every single person holding a position within the thai government at any level is .......thai. 

 

 its the entire culture. corruption and greed happen at all levels of this society. rich people just have more access to make it easier. 

 

there was a scandal a few years ago about money to be given to the poor in some kind of program. it was found out that almost all of the provinces in one way or the other had some level of corruption in regards to the funds. all kinds of job positions on all levels.

 

i dont remember the exact number but it was a huge portion of the entire fund that was just flat out stolen. 

 

this was not done by the elite or hi so thai.

Gee, with all your salient points (like all Thais are Thais) and the accompanying detailed memories in support of your contention that all Thais are corrupt, well, there’s just nothing left to say now, is there? 
 

Needless to say, my point still stands and will stand as long as your disdain for the entire citizenry is the only thing you actually bring to the table. You sound suspiciously like someone who has a troubling past and resultant outlook on their host-culture. Regardless, the only response l can muster is, unsurprisingly - bullocks to your position, your superficial approach to the subject matter, and whatever donkey you road in on. I mean, the entire culture is corrupt? Are you even aware of what culture entails for Dog’s sake?

[zzaa09]

On 3/9/2023 at 7:46 PM, spidermike007 said:

Likely far more than that amount of people that are suffering right now. And the authorities do not seem to care, one iota. If they did, something would be done. Instead, only hollow promises.

 

We will enforce the ban on burning. And it never gets enforced. No penalties, no nothing. 

 

We will do something about poorly maintained diesel vehicles. And nothing is ever done, because the cops are too lazy, and the highway patrol refuses to patrol the highway, and the special hotlines you set up, do not know anything about the program, or the laws. 

 

We care about the environment. Yeah right. Another bald faced lie. You care not, you see the air, you talk about the air, and you do nothing about the air. More empty words from the "do nothing men".

Reflective of the world at large.....especially those who are the greatest and most consistence polluters in every matter. 

Lotsa green talk and bs, yet never practiced.