Chiang Mai declares more districts as disaster zones amid wildfires

[Cabradelmar]

There are even poorer farmers in Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar who are also burning their fields. Again, it's not forest fires as most people understand it, but semi-controlled burns by locals (a lot of them). But wouldn't be surprised if some do get out of control. No one is going to do anything about any of this. There is no political will (anywhere). Just excuses and finger pointing.

[rudi49jr]

This is what the map looks like today, many ‘hot spots’ with numbers over 200, 300 and even 400. Pretty soon you will see numbers over 500. Imagine having to live there….
But soon the rainy season will start, the smog will clear and everyone will forget about it. Until it starts again. The never ending cycle.

 

[PETERTHEEATER]

4 hours ago, ChaiyaTH said:

Both are useless, unless they would buy dozens of those planes.

And that there are large lakes from which they can scoop-up water and that visibility is good enough for pilots to see at low-level.....

[JCauto]

9 hours ago, hotchilli said:

The biggest obstacal is the governor and headmens inability to control the locals from starting the fires.

 

You mean the residents? The ones who were here LOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNGGGGGGGGG before Chiang Mai had even seen the first longnose? The ones whose land it is? The ones who rely on their traditional agriculture as they have for centuries and for which there is no viable alternative?

 

Or perhaps you mean the CP Group and other large local agro-business concerns who are actually funding the production of cash crops such as corn and cassava? These are the reason why you now have such problems with air quality, as this wasn't an issue until people went from subsistence agriculture to the market, something heavily promoted by the governor, the ministries, the Prime Minister, the village headman, in fact by everyone as the best way forward for the economy and people.

 

So what's your proposed solution? It seems "locals fulfill market needs then go to jail" is the one you're advocating for. I'd say the ones who ought to be at the forefront of this discussion are those from whom we've heard precisely nothing, nada, zip, zilch, silence. That would be the large local agro-industry who are funding this burning and benefiting directly from it. Why don't they say anything? Probably because they don't have to, they've got the lazy foreign retirees whining about their poor air quality and denigrating the villagers without identifying the real problem so they're best to keep mum.

[vivananahuahin]

The governor will receive the red card, cannot critic the PM.

[Skipalongcassidy]

20 hours ago, Shetraveler said:

If you look at NASA fire app, you'll see that most fires aren't even in Thailand.  They're in Lao, Burma, & Cambodia.  CM sits in a bowl.
But please, continue talking from your position of ignorance.

Smoke from forest fires blankets northern Thailand in thick pollution

 

By Kocha Olarn and Heather Chen, CNN

 

BUT please continue talking from your position of ignorance.  The heavy smoke in Chiang Mai is mostly from the local fires set in the surrounding mountains... https://edition.cnn.com/2023/04/05/asia/chiang-mai-air-pollution-thailand-intl-hnk/index.html