Thai air force to battle surging fine dust pollution crisis

[webfact]

 

With fine dust pollution surging to alarming levels in Thailand, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has tasked the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) with spearheading the nation’s countermeasures. Air Force Chief, ACM Phanpakdee Pattanakul, confirmed the directive on Tuesday.

 

The Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (Gistda) revealed that the provinces of Samut Songkhram and Samut Sakhon are presently grappling with high levels of particulate matter 2.5 micrometres or less in diameter (PM2.5). As of 10am on Tuesday, these two provinces were marked in red, indicating dangerously high levels of PM2.5.

 

The safe threshold for PM2.5 is 37.5 microgrammes per cubic metre (µg/m³). However, the dust levels in Samut Songkhram and Samut Sakhon were recorded at an alarming 90.3 µg/m³ and 75.8 µg/m³ respectively.

 

Moreover, moderately dangerous levels of fine particles were observed in 18 other provinces across the country. Ratchaburi, with a dust level of 67.6 µg/m³, topped the “orange” zones, marking areas with moderate risk, reported Bangkok Post.

In the capital city of Bangkok, the district of Nong Khaem registered the highest PM2.5 level at 58.6 µg/m³. Other districts such as Don Muang (56.2 µg/m³), Lak Si (52.1), Thawi Watthana (49.4), and Bang Bon (48.7) also reported high levels of PM2.5.

 

by of Mitch Connor

Photo courtesy of iStock

 

Full story: The Thaiger 2024-01-17

 

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[sungod]

Maybe they could carry out drone strikes on the vintage Bangkok buses belching out black smoke.

[Thailand]

Dust! 

[sathornlover]

just another statement of strong evidence of how clueless the responsible authorities are...

[lordgrinz]

So they will be carrying out non-stop airstrikes on offenders?

[sathornlover]

The supposedly safe threshold in Thailand of PM2.5 is 37.5 micrograms alone is already a declaration of surrender

[RayWright]

Obviously not trying to alert those in Pattaya, in case the tourists go elsewhere, but currently 127, and yesterday morning peeked at 156.

[lopburi3]

16 minutes ago, RayWright said:

Obviously not trying to alert those in Pattaya, in case the tourists go elsewhere, but currently 127, and yesterday morning peeked at 156.

Obvious call to confine themselves to indoor activities.

[mikebell]

Using planes to combat dust is akin to using boats to prevent river floods.

[lopburi3]

6 minutes ago, mikebell said:

Using planes to combat dust is akin to using boats to prevent river floods.

Actually it will be a call for cloud seeding by Air Force to make rain to clear some of the dust from the air.  Nothing about prevention.

[huangnon]

3 minutes ago, lopburi3 said:

Actually it will be a call for cloud seeding by Air Force to make rain to clear some of the dust from the air.  Nothing about prevention.

 

Yep, they've been doing it here for decades. In the West this (and other 'weather modification') is dismissed as a "conspiracy theory".

[Georgealbert]

7 minutes ago, huangnon said:

 

Yep, they've been doing it here for decades. In the West this (and other 'weather modification') is dismissed as a "conspiracy theory".

To understand why it is used and works here, you need to looked at who is credited with the idea. Not saying any more.

[bamnutsak]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

tasked the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) with spearheading the nation’s countermeasures.

 

Face-palm.

 

from the linked article...

 

In response to the pollution crisis, ACM Phanpakdee stated that the RTAF is utilising every available resource, including water-dumping aircraft, to combat the haze. The RTAF also partners with different agencies and the Second Army Region to minimise forest fires and subsequent pollution.

 

Basler BT-67

In the current fiscal year, the RTAF plans to deploy a Basler BT-67, a utility aircraft with significant service life, for fire prevention and water-drop operations, said ACM Phanpakdee.

 

 

This aircraft is a retro-fitted DC-3.

 

"Countermeasures"? 

 

 

[eyeman]

What I don't understand many of the elite and the dinosaurs have their own offspring in the affected cities, do they think because their little spoilt brats only shop at IconSiam and Emporium and prance about between instagram coffee shops all day before getting into their driver's Toyota Alphard that they won't be affected? Air purifiers are only going to do so much..

[john donson]

The safe threshold for PM2.5 is 37.5 microgrammes per cubic metre (µg/m³).

 

the rest of the world says half of that is the upper limit, not SAFE

 

thai special

[john donson]

31 minutes ago, lopburi3 said:

Actually it will be a call for cloud seeding by Air Force to make rain to clear some of the dust from the air.  Nothing about prevention.

 

still it does not work in desert and mostly it works when it is about to rain

 

ahum...

[bamnutsak]

7 minutes ago, eyeman said:

What I don't understand many of the elite and the dinosaurs have their own offspring in the affected cities

 The PM is considering your comment while he is enjoying the clear crisp air in Davos, with a current AQI of 19.

 

https://www.iqair.com/th-en/switzerland/grisons/davos

 

 

Oh, and his sons live/work in NYC and London.

 

 

Edited January 17 by bamnutsak

[lopburi3]

10 minutes ago, john donson said:

 

still it does not work in desert and mostly it works when it is about to rain

 

ahum...

Don't believe anyone has equated Thailand with a desert - perhaps in the future but at this time humidity is nothing like a desert even at the driest of times.  But a few local storms are not going to have much effect even if successful.

[Fat is a type of crazy]

Is it significantly better in low season in Pattaya ? Hoping it is. 

[samtam]

1 hour ago, Thailand said:

Dust! 

 

Can someone please send this to the outlets that will shame the Thai government into actually doing something effective?

 

Top of this list for Thai government policy is "how will it affect tourism?". Bottom of the list is "how will it impact on the ordinary people who inhabit this once and sometimes beautiful land?". 

[stix40]

Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development

"specialist in Boonfai Technology"

 

[stix40]

Maybe the first nation to land a bamboo moon lander ? 

[TroubleandGrumpy]

If the Thai airforce using the NASA fires website to identify a fire, and then goes and drops huge amounts of water on it - great!!  But anything else is a load of PR BS. 

 

We used to live in Chiang Mai and loved it - we left after 3 years because the smoke was unbearable on some days during the 'smoke season'. It got worse every year and lots of promises and PR BS announcements amounted to nothiong - so we left.  Is the Governor of Chiang Mai listening () that is 1 million baht a year NOT being spent in your Province anymore.  Nowhere has great year all round in Thailand - not even Phuket (90 now on IQair) - but Chiang Mai/Rai is a disaster.   

 

If the Thai Airforce water bombs the forest and farm fires - that would be very useful - as long as they do it all the time - day after day. Sure it will screw up a few farms - but screw them. And the mushroom hunters starting the forest fires can go fu...........  

[Emdog]

"...the RTAF is utilising every available resource, including water-dumping aircraft, to combat the haze."

Dumb as a bag of hammers... so this means (maybe) they are going to treat the country as if it were all on fire? Lots of luck.

Better to have everyone go outside with a glass of water and throw the water up in the air at noon and 6 pm

[KannikaP]

Just hope that the Baslers, Dakotas with turbo props, start in the area where they are based.....Phitsanulok Airport.

My lawn needs watering!

Edited January 17 by KannikaP

[Moonlover]

2 hours ago, Georgealbert said:

Sorry, but am I missing something?

 

I see no relevance in your link about UK air quality, and how that is in anyway related to Thailand.

 

One is a science based report based on collected data and analysis, the other is a dinosaur in uniform, telling us how they are going to drop water vapour from an old (seemly unsafe from his comments) aircraft and they will do more in the future, if they buy some more aircraft. Nothing like planning ahead, as the pollution is so unexpected, not!

I didn't read anything in the article that suggested that the aircraft to be used were in anyway unsafe. The Basler BT-67 is, of course a remodeled and much updated DC 3, (C47 to military types) a model which, in the eyes of many aviation pundits, is regarded as the most successful aircraft in aviation history.

[Enoon]

3 hours ago, mikebell said:

Using planes to combat dust is akin to using boats to prevent river floods.

 

Perhaps more akin to mixing petrol with water to extinguish a fire?

 

The aircraft will be pumping ultrafine particulates from their engines at the same time as they are cloud seeding:

 

"Soot particles emitted by gas turbine engines are, to a large extent, ultrafine, with mobility diameters typically below 100 nm and are generally smaller than those observed in road traffic exhaust. Such small particles deposit with high efficiency in the entire respiratory tract and are supposedly more toxic than larger ones and therefore require special consideration."

https://www.nature.com/articles/s42003-019-0332-7#Abs1

 

It is perhaps worth remembering that the Thai government is more than just supportive of plans to increase the number of tourist flights/aircraft in Thailands skies, indeed it eagerly anticipates the increase.......as many as possible, as quickly as possible.

 

 

 

 

Edited January 17 by Enoon

[spidermike007]

If the Air Force used their resources to bomb every sugar processing plant in the country, then things might start to change and we might start seeing some cleaner air.

 

Until drastic action is taken to curtail the sugar industry and make these culprits behave, nothing is going to change. 

[wealthychef]

2 hours ago, eyeman said:

What I don't understand many of the elite and the dinosaurs have their own offspring in the affected cities, do they think because their little spoilt brats only shop at IconSiam and Emporium and prance about between instagram coffee shops all day before getting into their driver's Toyota Alphard that they won't be affected? Air purifiers are only going to do so much..

 

Their kids only have to live long enough to give them grandsons and help them in retirement.  Who cares if they live past 50?  

[Paul Henry]

Maybe they want to implement Trumps theory on handling hurricane nuke them. At lest this will move the dust particles out of Bangkok