Chiang Mai Struggles with Poor Air Quality from Wildfires

[webfact]

 

Chiang Mai is facing severe air quality issues due to increased wildfires, resulting in heavy smog covering the city over the past month. It now ranks among the cities with the world's poorest air quality.

 

The Wildfire and Pollution Control Command Centre reported 52 new hotspots, adding to the 166 previously detected by the Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Agency, totalling 218 hotspots.

 

Six air monitoring stations in the province have recorded unhealthy levels of PM2.5 - ultra-fine particulate matter. Stations in Mueang, Chiang Dao, Hot, and Mae Chaem districts revealed PM2.5 levels varying between 53.3 to 102.7 micrograms per cubic meter, exceeding the safe threshold of 37.5.

 

IQAir.com stated that Chiang Mai's air quality index reached 161 and its PM2.5 level hit 74.1 micrograms per cubic meter at 10 am yesterday, putting the city as the world's fourth most polluted city. From April 1 to 29, Chiang Mai has consistently made the list of the world's most polluted cities.

 

Chiang Mai's governor, Nirat Phongsitthithawon reassured the community that efforts are being made to control the wildfires, urging agencies to put anti-pollution measures in place due to the threat to public health and local tourism.

As of April 14, only three provinces in northern and northeastern Thailand have reported high levels of PM2.5 pollution while most regions have good air quality.

 

TOP: File photo

 

-- 2024-04-30

Get our Daily Newsletter - Click HERE to subscribe

[Sydebolle]

Coming November/December I shall put my condominium onto the market - I had it with the total incompetence to do ANYTHING in the right direction. 

Let them burn their country to the ground - after all - it is theirs ........... 

[spermwhale]

QUOTE: Chiang Mai's governor, Nirat Phongsitthithawon reassured the community that efforts are being made to control the wildfires

 

REALLY? ever notice that whenever there are wildfires in Thailand, they say that efforts are being made to control the wildfires, but nobody ever talks about specifics. It's partly the reporters' fault for not asking the bigwigs follow up questions like "what exactly is being done?" but they are spoon fed information. I lived in Thailand for 17 years and I still don't know if they actually have firefighters trying to contain wildfires and /or if they have plains that drop water on forest fires like they do in other wildfire areas around the world. 

[newbee2022]

32 minutes ago, Sydebolle said:

Coming November/December I shall put my condominium onto the market - I had it with the total incompetence to do ANYTHING in the right direction. 

Let them burn their country to the ground - after all - it is theirs ........... 

Wow, yeah, but there are some days in every year the sun is shining bright, air quality excellent, refreshing temperatures all day round.

Or did I dream only???🤗

[Tarteso]

Let them burn their Country, National Parks forest, farms, garbage and whatever they want to destroy… in less than a decade nobody will visit the North Country.👍
 

 

[hotchilli]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Chiang Mai is facing severe air quality issues due to increased wildfires, resulting in heavy smog covering the city over the past month. It now ranks among the cities with the world's poorest air quality.

 

Old news, same news, annual news... call it what you want... nothing changes because changes are never made.

[CMHomeboy78]

Obviously gov't on all levels isn't up to the task of controlling agricultural burning and dealing with forest fires in the hills - many of which are set by foragers to clear the underbrush so they can harvest mushrooms and other forest products.

If tourist numbers dropped precipitously that might arouse the authorities into action.

In the meantime, more should be done by concerned citizens - especially young people,, but it's not.

Until more creative ways of provoking elected officials into doing their jobs are found, nothing will change.

[Thailand]

3 minutes ago, CMHomeboy78 said:

Obviously gov't on all levels isn't up to the task of controlling agricultural burning and dealing with forest fires in the hills - many of which are set by foragers to clear the underbrush so they can harvest mushrooms and other forest products.

If tourist numbers dropped precipitously that might arouse the authorities into action.

In the meantime, more should be done by concerned citizens - especially young people,, but it's not.

Until more creative ways of provoking elected officials into doing their jobs are found, nothing will change.

In the early 2000 I took a picture near San Patong of a huge sign bearing the face of a beaming Yingluck and those words Stop The Burning -English and Thai if I remember - right in front of the sign were workers burning rubbish collected from the roadside!

Sadly I could not find the photo.

 

But simply, nothing has changed, the governers hollow words are heard annually , and not a thing has changed- except for the worse!

[Sydebolle]

18 hours ago, newbee2022 said:

Wow, yeah, but there are some days in every year the sun is shining bright, air quality excellent, refreshing temperatures all day round.

Or did I dream only???🤗

No, but I've lost my tenants on a yearly basis now ..... all due to haze and smog. I - myself - would have loved to live in Chiang Mai but for known reasons - off limits. 

And for the "nice" time one can still take up "residence" in a nice hotel with all the mod cons - simple as that. 

[newbee2022]

28 minutes ago, Sydebolle said:

No, but I've lost my tenants on a yearly basis now ..... all due to haze and smog. I - myself - would have loved to live in Chiang Mai but for known reasons - off limits. 

And for the "nice" time one can still take up "residence" in a nice hotel with all the mod cons - simple as that. 

Well, I forced myself to buy also a house at the beach in the South. 

So, if you ask me if I love Chiangmai I'll answer with YES, but only for 8-9 months a year.