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Will new air-quality laws cure Thailand’s smog-driven health crisis?


snoop1130

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Not a chance.Possibly by educating the young children there might be change,the biggest problem is that,good or bad, the way you're brought up by your parents is the way you carry on in later life unless there is a big incentive to change.

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Laws that are not enforced are useless. 

Not a day does it go by that I don't see someone burning garbage in Khon Kaen

or a pick up truck with black smoke billowing out the exhaust. In the US such vehicle would not make it a mile before being pulled over.

 I see it, I am sure you see it, do they mean to tell us the police don't see it? Heck many motorbikes and cars don't even have licence plates. Can you imagine taking out a car with no licence plated in your home country? How do they even give them a speeding ticket with those famous cameras?  

 I see the smoke from the fires, I smell the plastic. Do they mean to tell us they dont see and they don't smell?

Every year for as long as I remember they have a solution for the smog problem, It reminds me of the smoker who said 

"I don't know why people say it is hard to quit smoking! I quit at least once a week." 

 

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If a vehicle is puking out black smoke, it should be shut off and towed to a facility for repair before it is allowed to start up again. I can't see this happening so the pollution will go on. Same should apply to motorcycles with no tail lights on rural roads. People should value their life more than the price of a light bulb.

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Would need at least 1000 farmers and truck drivers/owners and bus drivers/owners to be arrested and imprisoned for 2 years before anything will change.

 

Therefore nothing will change.

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I actually do have hope that this gets fixed because 1) we know it’s possible as cities like LA have made major improvements and 2) it’s not one of these issues that does *not* effect the people in power. It does affect them, so I maintain hope… which I often do not. 

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Will new air-quality laws cure Thailand’s smog-driven health crisis?

Absolutely not as there are few enforcement mechanisms or public officials who will to enforce them at a local level, e.i., most village heads, Amphur leaders will always temper the enforcement because they live in those communities.
Lip Service?  Bunches.
Action?  Not much.

The Thai government would have to create an Air Quality department and fully staff it with well paid enforcement agents who can't be bribed to look the other way.  🤔  Ain't gonna happen so the official story will remain that the bad air is the fault of all the country around Thailand and "so sad, nothing we can do."

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A similar trend was detected in Chiang Mai, where the smog crisis used to last until March but now drags on until April.

When?  100 years ago.  I've lived here well over 15 years and horrid air quality lasts well past Songkran an into May.  Much of the problem in the CM areas is wide-spread ag burning as well as arson-set forest fires.

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Sonthi Kotchawat, an independent expert on the environment, has criticized the bills’ content, saying they mostly repeat existing laws on air pollution. He says the solution lies not in passing new laws but in ensuring proper enforcement of the laws already enacted.

 

At least there's one guy with a functioning brain!

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4 hours ago, hotchilli said:

There are laws now... mostly ignored of course..

 

All laws in Thailand are ignored. Why even create laws/regulations/rules just to ignore all of them? If only there were an entity that would enforce laws.

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Regarding Agricultural burning of "rice fields."

There are alternate methods to planting rice that do not require either burning or plowing.  I've read books regarding these methods.
"We've burned field for centuries.  It's part of our customs!"

It's time to learn a new method that doesn't destroy the air quality.

A first step to ending the burning would be state-run and funded educational programs to teach local farmers the alternative methods and to assist them during the their first year(s) of planting.  This is exactly the type of thing that his Majesty Rama IX 🙏 did during his youthful days.

"It can't be done," some will say.

Yeah it can.  Just last week we helped sponsor an educational seminar here in North-East Lamphun led by one of Thailand princesses 🙏 that involved 4000 people to teach and assist the local mountain tribes in agricultural techniques.

So, it can be done at the Amphur level in each rice growing province, especially here in Northern Thailand.  But there needs to be the will to do it. 

Edited by connda
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28 minutes ago, Olmate said:

Who is asking? 

 

Me.

Seeing as no one else seems to be bothered. 🤔 I did google his name but didn't come up with any academic references, such as published papers.

 

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