Chiang Mai burning rice fields

[glegolo18]

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

[BritManToo]

Best air for the past 10 years imho.

[Moonlover]

Simply look at that the situation map on Air4Thai.

 

http://air4thai.pcd.go.th/webV3/#/Home

[glegolo18]

1 hour ago, Moonlover said:

Simply look at that the situation map on Air4Thai.

 

http://air4thai.pcd.go.th/webV3/#/Home

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

[CMBob]

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).

[bkk6060]

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.

[Moonlover]

1 hour ago, Moonlover said:

Simply look at that the situation map on Air4Thai.

 

http://air4thai.pcd.go.th/webV3/#/Home

 

38 minutes ago, glegolo18 said:

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

Try getting a bit adventurous with your mouse!

[Moonlover]

2 hours ago, glegolo18 said:

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

There, fixed it for you. All you have to do toggle over to English in the top righthand corner. (I can't do that for you)

 

http://air4thai.pcd.go.th/webV3/#/StationDetail

[glegolo18]

2 hours ago, Moonlover said:

There, fixed it for you. All you have to do toggle over to English in the top righthand corner. (I can't do that for you)

 

http://air4thai.pcd.go.th/webV3/#/StationDetail

Thank you so much, great of you.

 

 

[Tarteso]

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. 

[NedR69]

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. 
 

 

[Unamerican]

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? 

[wwest5829]

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]

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

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

Use AirVisual then …
 

[Captor]

On 3/1/2025 at 8:25 AM, glegolo18 said:

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

And not true reporting. All green in Bangkok?! Sure! That has never happen. Better look at IQAir from Switzerland: Live Animated Air Quality Map (AQI, PM2.5...) | IQAir

www.iqair.com

 

[huyuli]

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.

[SLOWHAND225]

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

[Tazmo]

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.

[Thailand]

Can still see Doi Suthep so definitely better this year.

[connda]

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.

[connda]

https://aqicn.org/city/chiang-mai/

[edwarda909]

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]

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. 

 

[NorthernRyland]

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. 

 

 

[Dcheech]

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. 

 

[Cameroni]

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]

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]

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]

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. 

[NedR69]

I have a similar problem with my two monitors, but one matches closely to what AirIQ site lists for my district/area when I measure outside our villa.

 

Running hepa on high at night and reading is about 3 to 4 in the morning...but will increase when cooking, vacuuming the floor, doors opening/closing, etc. to about 12 to 15 on PM2.5.  It quickly reads back to <5 after activity that caused a spike.

 

These are the two monitors I bought on Lazada.  One is out of stock, the other no longer available.  

The Xiaomi was unreliable and was a wasted 900 thb, white color.  Xiaomi is junk in my experience.

 

The other one, black color, gives nearly identical readings compared to official monitors...799thb, but out of stock. I think its a good value if available, and reliable readings.  Two years constant use/always plugged in.