Tirayut Wongsantisuk moved to Chiang Mai with his wife in the 2010s, drawn by the region’s cooler climate and green mountains. More than a decade later, worsening seasonal pollution has made the family question whether they should stay.

Get today's headlines by email

Their two daughters have suffered repeated nosebleeds during periods of heavy haze. Tirayut says the health problems have forced him to consider leaving the city during the peak pollution months.

“If something serious happened to our child, we would regret it forever,” said the 41-year-old.

Smoke from widespread fires has blanketed large parts of northern Thailand in recent days. Air monitoring group IQAir ranked Chiang Mai among the most polluted cities in the world during the past week.

Families rethink life in the north

When BBC Thai visited families in the city, a thick haze covered the skyline, hiding the mountain views that usually surround the area. The smell of burning lingered across neighbourhoods.

Satellite monitoring recorded 4,750 fire hotspots across Thailand on Tuesday, most of them in forested areas.

Hazardous air during fire season

By Wednesday morning, Chiang Mai’s level of PM2.5 — fine particles small enough to enter the bloodstream — was classified as “very unhealthy”.

Northern Thailand experiences its worst pollution from November to March. During this period, farmers burn fields to clear land before planting new crops. Dry conditions also trigger wildfires in forests and farmland.

Images shared by local media show mountainsides covered in flames, with some residents comparing the fires to erupting volcanoes.

Authorities have closed parks considered at high risk of fire and warned that anyone entering protected areas to start fires will face arrest.

Thailand’s laws impose severe penalties for illegal forest burning. Those convicted can face prison sentences of up to 20 years and fines reaching two million baht.

Health experts say prolonged exposure to polluted air can trigger a range of problems, from eye irritation and nosebleeds to more serious conditions such as heart attacks.

Children sent away from the city

Parents say children appear especially vulnerable to the pollution.

Tirayut says his six-year-old daughter developed repeated nosebleeds, skin rashes and severe eye irritation. At times, her eyelids became swollen due to allergic reactions.

Another resident, Benjamas Jaiparkan, has temporarily sent her children to stay with relatives in neighbouring Phayao province, where the air is cleaner.

The 35-year-old public school teacher says she fears the long-term impact on her four-year-old son, who began experiencing nosebleeds last year.

“I feel sorry for him because I don’t know how much more his lungs can handle,” she said.

Some families now see relocation as the only way to protect their children.

Legal pressure on the government

Public concern over air pollution has grown steadily in recent years. Residents and environmental activists have filed legal cases demanding stronger government action.

In July 2023, about 1,700 Chiang Mai residents sued former Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and two government agencies. The group argued authorities failed to use existing powers to address the pollution crisis, which they say could shorten local life expectancy by about five years.

A court in Chiang Mai later ruled that the government must produce an emergency plan to tackle air pollution within 90 days.

The haze problem is not limited to Thailand. Recent satellite data shows rising fire activity across Southeast Asia, with the highest number of hotspots in seven years recorded in Malaysia and Indonesia.

Join the discussion?

Already a member?

Adapted by ASEAN Now. Source 1 April 2026

View full article

Been here 17 years, son was born here 14 years back.

None of us have been affected.

No Asthma, no nosebleeds, no breathing problems.

Sad that first there must be problems before any Government or RTP will start thinking of an solution. It is written so many times to stop wildfires, but because a lack of enforcement everybody around the country keeps on doing it. Nobody cares.... and nobody think for solution to try to get rid of or try to lessen the airpollution. There is more Thailand than Bangkok

44 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Been here 17 years, son was born here 14 years back.

None of us have been affected.

No Asthma, no nosebleeds, no breathing problems.

We got sick when we lived up North! Not nice to see your kids suffering. 20,000 people die each year and then there are always the Farang village-idiots claiming it doesn't affect them.

Maybe you smoke 2 packs a day, so you don't feel the difference.

45 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Been here 17 years, son was born here 14 years back.

None of us have been affected.

No Asthma, no nosebleeds, no breathing problems.

Are you trying to say the severe air pollution that sends thousands to the hospital every year and is known to cause multiple health problems and shorten lives is not a concern or yours? How about all the people who smoke cigarettes for many years with no noticeable problems until one day they get diagnosed with terminal lung disease.

Basically, you're either very ignorant or just plain stupid but I'd stop making posts leading people to think living in one of the most polluted places on the planet isn't a big deal.

9 minutes ago, jimgilly said:

Are you trying to say the severe air pollution that sends thousands to the hospital every year and is known to cause multiple health problems and shorten lives is not a concern or yours? How about all the people who smoke cigarettes for many years with no noticeable problems until one day they get diagnosed with terminal lung disease.

Basically, you're either very ignorant or just plain stupid but I'd stop making posts leading people to think living in one of the most polluted places on the planet isn't a big deal.

I'm 70, I'll die soon no matter what I do, what I eat, or where I live.

But at least I can comply with forum posting rules.

59 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Been here 17 years, son was born here 14 years back.

None of us have been affected.

No Asthma, no nosebleeds, no breathing problems.

It most times is long term affects from air pollution that hurts the lungs over time, making them more susceptible to ailments later. If you're living there you're affected.

10 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

It most times is long term affects from air pollution that hurts the lungs over time, making them more susceptible to ailments later. If you're living there you're affected.

OP claims a 6yo daughter damaged, hardly 'long term'.

3 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

OP claims a 6yo daughter damaged, hardly 'long term'.

Like all world ailments, some are affected right off and some it takes years to show damage, but eventually anyone will be affected by bad air pollution. Some can smoke all their lives and nothing happens and some for a couple of decades and they get lung cancer. Luck of the genetics.

23 minutes ago, KireB said:

We got sick when we lived up North! Not nice to see your kids suffering. 20,000 people die each year and then there are always the Farang village-idiots claiming it doesn't affect them.

Maybe you smoke 2 packs a day, so you don't feel the difference.

I'm happy I never took up smoking more than a few times when I was 16. Weed afterwards occasionally but not constant. My dad smoked 3 packs a day for 60 years and died at 79 from lung cancer. I'm thinking he would have lasted a lot longer if he never smoked. Air pollution is no joke, and a large reason some died having Covid, attacking the weakness of the lungs. I would never live in such an area. Life is hard enough not taking chances with this type of problem.

1 hour ago, BritManToo said:

Been here 17 years, son was born here 14 years back.

None of us have been affected.

No Asthma, no nosebleeds, no breathing problems.

You're lucky and I know many like you that didn't suffer from the pollution. Probably doing quite a bit of damage that is unseen but not sure.

Now lets say you had even a mild asthma condition like myself, the pollution can wreak havoc on your health if you enjoy the outdoors. Constantly hacking all through the night and had to go to the emergency room twice in 8 years. The burning was bad but what I struggled with was the diesel fumes in the city center.

I would bet most don't really have issues or at least that is what I sensed.

5 hours ago, ikke1959 said:

Sad that first there must be problems before any Government or RTP will start thinking of an solution.

Since a large percentage of the smog is from neighbouring countries how can the RTP help in any way?

1 minute ago, scottiejohn said:

Since a large percentage of the smog is from neighbouring countries how can the RTP help in any way?

That is what is said but how many field and wildfires are there not only in Chiang Mai but everywhere?? You can't blame other countries for own shortcomings

39 minutes ago, scottiejohn said:

Since a large percentage of the smog is from neighbouring countries how can the RTP help in any way?

Check the Nasa firemap and you will see that most mountains in northen Thailand are on fire. Myanmar can also blame Thailand for that.