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Chiang Mai burning rice fields

glegolo18

By glegolo18
in Chiang Mai

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glegolo18 Silver Member

glegolo18

Posted
Posted

Hi my wife and I are planning to go up now to Chiang Mai for tourist-purposes. I have back of my head a memory that I have been reading here for a couple of years ago, that it is not so healthy to go to Chiang Mai in march because the thais are burn ing and do fires like crazy and the air is so polluted so it is being dangerous...

 

Can you give give me any idea how bad it is, or also if it is not bad at all...

Thanks for your responses.

Glegolo

CMBob Gold Member

CMBob

Posted
Posted

Typically the air here (CM) isn't very good during March and most of April; however, this year has been better

than normal....the AQI was actually in the green a couple of days earlier this week.  At this moment, My IQAir app

says it's between 65-71, shows Bangkok at 64, Pattaya at 58, and Phuket at 56,  All fairly close at the moment (but,

admittedly, CM is usually worse this time of year).

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bkk6060 Ruby Member

bkk6060

Posted
Posted

I just left there was surprised how good the air is now.  Last year at this time it was much worse.  Hope it continues to be good CM can be a really nice place.

Tarteso Diamond Member

Tarteso

Posted
Posted

I have lived in North-Chiang Mai for more than 10 years, until I came to live on the coast because of the pollution levels and to save my family from that danger. My diagnosis; Pulmonary Emphysema. (I don't drink and I don't smoke). It is not a healthy place to live and even less so at this time of year. If you are going to visit the place for a few days, try to use masks outdoors.. Good luck!.

 

CM Today. 

IMG_2355.jpeg

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NedR69 Advanced Member

NedR69

Posted
Posted

Anywhere north of Hua Hin or north of Rayong has air quality problems. 
 

Never heard it was from rice fields.  In Isan it’s sugar cane crop residue burning. 
 

 

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Unamerican Senior Member

Unamerican

Posted
Posted
On 3/1/2025 at 4:53 PM, Moonlover said:

All you have to do toggle over to English in the top righthand corner.

But that does not change the language/script used within the map, does it? 

  • Agree 1
wwest5829 Platinum Member

wwest5829

Posted
Posted
On 3/1/2025 at 12:44 PM, glegolo18 said:

Hi my wife and I are planning to go up now to Chiang Mai for tourist-purposes. I have back of my head a memory that I have been reading here for a couple of years ago, that it is not so healthy to go to Chiang Mai in march because the thais are burn ing and do fires like crazy and the air is so polluted so it is being dangerous...

 

Can you give give me any idea how bad it is, or also if it is not bad at all...

Thanks for your responses.

Glegolo

Recommend using the app, “AirVisual” as I do here in Chiang Mai for the daily AQI posting.

PFMills Silver Member

PFMills

Posted
Posted
On 3/1/2025 at 2:25 PM, glegolo18 said:

Great map - not a single name on that map in english

Use AirVisual then …
 

huyuli Senior Member

huyuli

Posted
Posted
On 3/1/2025 at 2:25 PM, glegolo18 said:

Great map - not a single name on that map in english

Change the language to English in two steps. You're welcome.

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SLOWHAND225 Senior Member

SLOWHAND225

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, NedR69 said:

Anywhere north of Hua Hin or north of Rayong has air quality problems. 
 

Never heard it was from rice fields.  In Isan it’s sugar cane crop residue burning. 
 

 

 

Its both actually, I was in Chiang Rai a couple weeks ago and they were almost done burning the rice

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Tazmo Senior Member

Tazmo

Posted
Posted

The air quality last year March and April was extremely poor in CM. I went to Krabi for the duration, and doing the same this year. The weather was apparently very hot too!

 

Records indicated an increase in hospital admissions for those with respiratory problems and deaths as well. Mostly premature deaths!

The effects are not always evident on those who don’t have a history of respiratory disorders, but it is said to reduce one’s life span by up to 5 years.

 

Steps have been taken to reduce the pollution this year and so far it seems better at this present time.

A recent research indicated that aircraft fuel pollution is also a contributing factor. 
 

I do not advise friends or relatives to visit at this time of the year.

connda Star Member

connda

Posted
Posted
On 3/1/2025 at 12:44 PM, glegolo18 said:

Hi my wife and I are planning to go up now to Chiang Mai for tourist-purposes. I have back of my head a memory that I have been reading here for a couple of years ago, that it is not so healthy to go to Chiang Mai in march because the thais are burn ing and do fires like crazy and the air is so polluted so it is being dangerous...

 

Can you give give me any idea how bad it is, or also if it is not bad at all...

Thanks for your responses.

Glegolo

This year has been wayyyyy different.  I haven't seen air this clear in over a decade.  However we are moving into March which is when it typically gets bad. Depends on how long you're staying and whether this clearer air holds or not.  I generally don't recommend anyone come here after mid-April, but this has not been a typical year.

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edwarda909 Senior Member

edwarda909

Posted
Posted

yes, the air is better now than it has been for several years during March. Many people say it is due to the rain we had about 5 days ago. So, best to wait a few days and see if things change.

Patong2021 Platinum Member

Patong2021

Posted
Posted

The air quality is poor and considered a health hazard.  The air quality will remain poor well into Songkran.

Saying that the air quality is better  than in past years is irrelevant. It's like a person suffering from a flesh eating bacteria saying, it's much better today as only my legs are rotting and not my arms and legs.

 

 Currently, in Chiang Mai it is  rather poor in most parts of the urban area. Here is a map     https://www.iqair.com/ca/air-quality-map

Air quality is also relative. Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai all have historically bad quality of  air at this time of year.  Even when the quality improves, it is still poor compared to other urban areas. 

Compare the current Chiang Mai ratings of PM2.5 - 46.8 µg/m³ to cities like; Singapore PM2.5 - 12.3 µg/m³,  Naples - PM2.5 -  5 µg/m³, Fort Lauderdale PM2.5 - 4.2 µg/m³ and Panama PM2.5 -  7 µg/m³ and it is obvious that  Chiang Mai suffers from poor quality air.

 

The shocking aspect is that some will offer excuses and comments that it isn't that bad. It is. 

 

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NorthernRyland Platinum Member

NorthernRyland

Posted
Posted

Already seen two forest fires last week around where I live probably dozens more in the region and they will continue to start new ones. Unless they get rained out It's going to go downhill fast like it does every year. 

 

 

image.png.967a258bee561392f82358009cb359f3.png

Dcheech Gold Member

Dcheech

Posted
Posted

And that weather front they were talking about arrived last night. Cool & the mountain appears out from the haze/smoke, with streaky clouds off to the east. Could smell a hint of smoke on the wind last night. Assume burning in Doi Saket area. Still a nice reprieve. 

 

  • 2 weeks later...
Cameroni Platinum Member

Cameroni

Posted
Posted

So I bought an air quality monitor. Throughout this entire burning season it has shown air quality to be in the green and ideal area. I was concerned I bought a second air quality monitor to monitor the first one. It too said the air in my house was in the green and ideal area.

 

But when I look outside I can see poorer visibility.

 

Why are BOTH of my air quality monitors not telling me air quality is impaired?

 

Any thoughts?

CMBob Gold Member

CMBob

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, Cameroni said:

So I bought an air quality monitor. Throughout this entire burning season it has shown air quality to be in the green and ideal area. I was concerned I bought a second air quality monitor to monitor the first one. It too said the air in my house was in the green and ideal area.

 

But when I look outside I can see poorer visibility.

 

Why are BOTH of my air quality monitors not telling me air quality is impaired?

 

Any thoughts?

Absent you  opening windows or doors a lot, there's no doubt your inside air quality is far better than what's outside.  We have 3 machines and they all register in the green for the most part (occasionally when it's really bad outside and we haven't turned the monitors on for a few days, they'll start in the range of 75 and get back to around 20-30 within a few hours).  Our three monitors are Xiaomi and seem to work quite well.

Cameroni Platinum Member

Cameroni

Posted
Posted
9 minutes ago, CMBob said:

Absent you  opening windows or doors a lot, there's no doubt your inside air quality is far better than what's outside.  We have 3 machines and they all register in the green for the most part (occasionally when it's really bad outside and we haven't turned the monitors on for a few days, they'll start in the range of 75 and get back to around 20-30 within a few hours).  Our three monitors are Xiaomi and seem to work quite well.

 

I air every morning, so I would have thought the outside air coming in would lead to the air monitor showing much worse air quality. But that is not hte case. With both of them.

marin Gold Member

marin

Posted
Posted
3 minutes ago, Cameroni said:

I air every morning, so I would have thought the outside air coming in would lead to the air monitor showing much worse air quality. But that is not hte case. With both of them.

Then something is wrong with them. Even here in Don Muang Bangkok when the air is poor 75+ my two Xiaomi show a reading of about 50 or so inside, which reduces to below 10 in half an hours time. 

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