Air Pollution Skyrockets in Chiang Mai

[webfact]

 

Chiang Mai and multiple northern provinces in Thailand are contending with alarmingly high air pollution levels. According to the Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA), 11 provinces experienced dangerously high red-coded PM2.5 levels. 

 

Pollution figures ranged from 82.1 to 158.8 microgrammes per cubic metre in 24 hours, significantly higher than the safe limit of 37.5 µg/m3.

 

Among the northern provinces, Chiang Rai reported the worst PM2.5 level at 158.8, with Chiang Mai close behind at 141.9. 

 

Further, unhealthy orange-coded PM2.5 levels were found in 46 other provinces, primarily in the Central Plains and northeast, with readings from 38.2 to 67.6 µg/m3.

 

Meanwhile, east and south provinces reported good to moderate air quality, with the best air in Phuket and Phangnga at 15.3µg/m³ and 15.7µg/m³ respectively.

 

Swiss tech company IQAir, which specializes in air quality, confirmed the severity of the issue by ranking Chiang Mai the world's fourth most polluted city, trailing Delhi, Lahore, and Kathmandu. This report underscores the urgent need for actions to curb escalating air pollution levels.

 

File photo courtesy of Thaiger

 

-- 2024-05-07

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[DonniePeverley]

What steps have been taken to stop this ?

[nglodnig]

31 minutes ago, DonniePeverley said:

What steps have been taken to stop this ?

A committee was formed to end the pollution by rainy season. Looks like they will meet their target. 

[watchcat]

36 minutes ago, DonniePeverley said:

What steps have been taken to stop this ?

 

None!

[malibukid]

1 hour ago, nglodnig said:

A committee was formed to end the pollution by rainy season. Looks like they will meet their target. 

why should the government in Bangkok care about the Lana people.  been this way for centuries. 

[JimG]

My experience is that the smog is caused by farmers burning the leftovers from the crops.  It's always said that 'next year' it will be fixed. They never do.   Make it illegal and fine violators. Set up a collection system for the trash.  The gov't could even assist in the cost to the farmers.

[ChasingTheSun]

The  long neck girl tourist park still a thing up there?

[spidermike007]

The farmers must be stopped. Crop burning may have worked centuries ago. It is not viable now. Thailand needs a leader who will stand up to Big Agra. We know Srettha is far too weak and compromised. This will only get worse, and the well being of the nation is at stake. Where is the moral authority? 

[klauskunkel]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

This report underscores the urgent need for actions to curb escalating air pollution levels.

Underscoring..., yup, the previous highlighting didn't work, so underscoring it is. What's next, emboldening? 

[VinnieK]

I have a dumba$$ friend who retired recently, contrary to my warnings, to CM 

He bolted out to Phuket in no time, when the heat/pollution kicked in.

 

 

[hotchilli]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Chiang Mai and multiple northern provinces in Thailand are contending with alarmingly high air pollution levels. According to the Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA), 11 provinces experienced dangerously high red-coded PM2.5 levels. 

As I have said many times before... sack the governor and get in someone with some backbone to sort out the issues.

[soalbundy]

2 hours ago, DonniePeverley said:

What steps have been taken to stop this ?

Long ones to a clean beach

[hotchilli]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Swiss tech company IQAir, which specializes in air quality, confirmed the severity of the issue by ranking Chiang Mai the world's fourth most polluted city, trailing Delhi, Lahore, and Kathmandu. This report underscores the urgent need for actions to curb escalating air pollution levels.

Nothing will change... same next year.

[soalbundy]

36 minutes ago, ChasingTheSun said:

The  long neck girl tourist park still a thing up there?

deep throat Annie?

[chricha]

We went to Chiang Mai/Rai a couple of years ago and although not as bad as this year it was uncomfortable.

This year in Khao Kho where we live, a long way from Chiang Mai, the sun turns orange from 4pm due to the smoke from everybody burning.

This starts in January and continues until the rains come in April/May - still no rain to date!

 

The only solution is for farmers to plough last season's crops back in as we do in Australia.

But the small farmers can't afford such luxury as a tractor and the big Agra farms say why should we bother - everybody else is doing it!

Solution: fine/tax big Agra and donate a tractor to the small farmers allowing them to avoid burning

[mberbae]

To Jimmy G... Government Agencies are also involved in the burning.

Drive along any mountainous highway in the North and you will see

fires on both sides for miles and miles for " brush clearing ".

[Bangkok Barry]

50 minutes ago, JimG said:

My experience is that the smog is caused by farmers burning the leftovers from the crops.  It's always said that 'next year' it will be fixed. They never do.   Make it illegal and fine violators. Set up a collection system for the trash.  The gov't could even assist in the cost to the farmers.

 

It IS illegal. But whether something is illegal or not has absolutely no relevance in Thailand. Somehow, the authorities can't detect where the smoke is coming from, can't see any fires, because they've been blinded by indifference.

[Bangkok Barry]

9 minutes ago, chricha said:

 

But the small farmers can't afford such luxury as a tractor and the big Agra farms say why should we bother - everybody else is doing it!

Solution: fine/tax big Agra and donate a tractor to the small farmers allowing them to avoid burning

 

Farmers don't have to own a tractor for what is seasonal work. Where I am, in Kalasin Province, there are those who have tractors for hire on a day-by-day basis. Same as machines for threshing the rice. When someone needs a tractor, they make a call. These tractors are also useful for pulling cars and lorries out of ditches when the 'brakes have failed'.

 

The bottom line is that the farmers don't care, and nor do the authorities. Thailand - Land Of Apathy.

[Andre0720]

Oh, very alarming.

Made me forget where I put my pack of cigarettes....

[JBChiangRai]

It is so easy to fix the agricultural burning.

 

Any field burning will be identified by satellite and no growing on that field will be permitted that year.  The army will destroy any crops grown in contravention of that order.

[SamSanuk]

[Thailand]

Rain in the Hang Dong area last night , despite that AQI if 159 this morning UNHEALTHY 

 

Everyone may begin to experience health effects; members of sensitive groups may experience more serious health effects

Active children and adults, and people with respiratory disease, such as asthma, should avoid prolonged outdoor exertion; everyone else, especially children, should limit prolonged outdoor exertion

[mfd101]

50 minutes ago, Bangkok Barry said:

Farmers don't have to own a tractor for what is seasonal work. Where I am, in Kalasin Province, there are those who have tractors for hire on a day-by-day basis. Same as machines for threshing the rice. When someone needs a tractor, they make a call.

Yes, totally agree. Same here in south Surin. Works well.

[koolkarl]

If you have any common sense, move out of Thailand. Nothing is more important than one's health, nothing.

[Denim]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

This report underscores the urgent need for actions to curb escalating air pollution levels.

 

 

I don't think they do ' URGENT ' here in mai pen rai land. Sometime , later , never is the modus operandi. That or quick fix until the problem goes away by itself.

 

 

 

 

[JoePai]

1 hour ago, spidermike007 said:

The farmers must be stopped. Crop burning may have worked centuries ago. It is not viable now. Thailand needs a leader who will stand up to Big Agra. We know Srettha is far too weak and compromised. This will only get worse, and the well being of the nation is at stake. Where is the moral authority? 

Unfortunately it's not just the Thai farmers but also the Laos and Burmese farmers you would need to stop - and that would be impossible

[Zack61]

It used to be that air was free but now it’s gonna cost you.

Your life is the going price. 
As much as I like CM and CR it’s a great place not to be for 6 months of the year. It is downright unhealthy and depressing for that period of time. 

[Presnock]

2 hours ago, malibukid said:

why should the government in Bangkok care about the Lana people.  been this way for centuries. 

I monitor the pollution here in my district of Bangkok and the only time it actually within the "safe" limit of 37.8 - is when I walk my dogs between 3-6 AM.  Once traffic really begins, the level increases too and there have been less than 10 days in the past 6 months that the level remained in the safe limit.  I also walk during every evening (wearing a quality N95 mask and I notice many others exercising too but very few are wearing a mask.  Some have even aked me why I am  wearing a mask, easy enough to explain to them and their responses if any are "but we are out in the fresh air so why are you still wearing a mask?"  With responses like this, I realize a lot of these folks will suffer various illnesses later.  Today the AM walk with dogs my meter read 50 2.5 microns, then the rains started.  I will measure the air later today to see the effects of the rains (quite heavy at times).  to all - be safe, be healthy, be happy.

[BoganInParasite]

I'm a little lazy to search and find the article/s but wasn't there a court direction several months ago requiring a government department to come up with a plan to fix this problem? I seem to recall the due date was about now. Not that I'm expecting any such plan to have a hope in hell of doing so. While ending or significantly curtailing agriculture/forest burning in Thailand is something that could be done by a determined and competent government, there is still significant smoke coming through from Myanmar. Just ask Malaysia and Singapore how effective they have been in stopping burning on Sumatra.

[newbee2022]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

 

Chiang Mai and multiple northern provinces in Thailand are contending with alarmingly high air pollution levels. According to the Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA), 11 provinces experienced dangerously high red-coded PM2.5 levels. 

 

Pollution figures ranged from 82.1 to 158.8 microgrammes per cubic metre in 24 hours, significantly higher than the safe limit of 37.5 µg/m3.

 

Among the northern provinces, Chiang Rai reported the worst PM2.5 level at 158.8, with Chiang Mai close behind at 141.9. 

 

Further, unhealthy orange-coded PM2.5 levels were found in 46 other provinces, primarily in the Central Plains and northeast, with readings from 38.2 to 67.6 µg/m3.

 

Meanwhile, east and south provinces reported good to moderate air quality, with the best air in Phuket and Phangnga at 15.3µg/m³ and 15.7µg/m³ respectively.

 

Swiss tech company IQAir, which specializes in air quality, confirmed the severity of the issue by ranking Chiang Mai the world's fourth most polluted city, trailing Delhi, Lahore, and Kathmandu. This report underscores the urgent need for actions to curb escalating air pollution levels.

 

File photo courtesy of Thaiger

 

-- 2024-05-07

Get our Daily Newsletter - Click HERE to subscribe

Probably the govt will present very effective plans to solve that little problem. I'm very sure🙏