Is There A Smog/ Smoke Free Area In Thailand?

[Soulwy]

My eyes burn, my throat is swollen: it was really smokey today in Chiang Rai. Need to move to a smoke/smog free area. Any recommendations?

[TEFLMike]

You may find this recent TV thread of interest.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Move-City-Cl...amp;pid=2531333

[QED]

From experience we get very little of this down the Eastern seabord (Pattaya - Trat). Yes people will burn just about anything but we don't seem to get smog, which is probably due to the sea breeze.

I would imagine it's the same down the West coast but don't have long term experience of that area.

There seems to be alot more people in the CM/CR area complaining this year, sorry to hear it's affecting you that badly.

[mmrooms]

how is pollution in phucket?

I'm coming to thailand to train, and I want to avoid pollution at all cost...

[khunandy]

This is my least favourite season in Thailand, if it is on the ground it is burnt, it seems to be a celebration of animal, mineral and vegetable material being dry, so...burn it!

Some of it is of agricultural necessity, most of it is purely to watch a fire burn...mans most primitive pleasure or at least the second most primitive pleasure.

I am very surprised that the old rural folk do not require oxygen bottles

[sbk]

Only time we've ever gotten smoke was years ago when the fires in Indo were so bad that the smoke reached up here. Couldn't see Samui, 5k away. Normally, however, the air is clean

[jubby]

This is my least favourite season in Thailand, if it is on the ground it is burnt, it seems to be a celebration of animal, mineral and vegetable material being dry, so...burn it!

Some of it is of agricultural necessity, most of it is purely to watch a fire burn...mans most primitive pleasure or at least the second most primitive pleasure.

I am very surprised that the old rural folk do not require oxygen bottles

I don't see many 'Old' Rural Folk.

[Soulwy]

From experience we get very little of this down the Eastern seabord (Pattaya - Trat). Yes people will burn just about anything but we don't seem to get smog, which is probably due to the sea breeze.

I would imagine it's the same down the West coast but don't have long term experience of that area.

There seems to be alot more people in the CM/CR area complaining this year, sorry to hear it's affecting you that badly.

And the ironie is that I especially chose for Chiang Rai because of its mountains, hills, nature (= for me synonyme for fresh air)

@TEFL Mike, thanks for the link, missed this topic. So this is a general problem.

Would the coast be better then? Seabreezee = fresh?

Or maybe an otherAsian country? I will be here 2 more months but I definetely don't want a health problem as a souvenir.

This air is sooo bad for people, this is something the government has to take care of.

Edited March 9, 2009 by Soulwy

[ballpoint]

This is my least favourite season in Thailand, if it is on the ground it is burnt, it seems to be a celebration of animal, mineral and vegetable material being dry, so...burn it!

Some of it is of agricultural necessity, most of it is purely to watch a fire burn...mans most primitive pleasure or at least the second most primitive pleasure.

I am very surprised that the old rural folk do not require oxygen bottles

I don't see many 'Old' Rural Folk.

You'd be surprised. Although many of the men die in their 60's or earlier due to the effects of a lifetime of lao khao drinking and rough tobacco smoking, most of the women in our area live to a ripe old age. We calculated that my wife's great grandmother was at least 110 when she died, and a bunch of her contemporaries would have been around the same. The grandmother is still going strong, as is, unusually, a great uncle. A lifetime of hard work and a diet of mainly water, rice, fish, num phrik and a bit of chicken and pork seems to have done the trick. Be interesting to see how the generation brought up with western food, tractors, harvestors, chemical pesticides and other pollution causing, work saving, devices ages.

[Lickey]

Its coming to the end of my 3rd dry season here in Issan, as soon as the rain stops i get a bad chest, [yes,im a smoker,25 a day or so] but no problems when it rains, so im beginning to like the rainy season more than the latter dry season, its also just as Ballpoint states, eccesive spraying of cides, last year on our farm labour wanted 300bht a day danger money, but they dont wear any protetevive stuff atall, wheres the danger then? well, it to them and their problem, i dont want them sick or my ground come to that so no spraying since last October.

Dust is a big problem in the dry season, our sliding window mossie nets turn from silver to yellow in a week, and are removed and washed every week,

The bed room wall fan is on all night now, recently i linked a few elastic bands together and but a plastic drink cup 1/2 full of water and a few lavender drops in, morning time and the plastic beaker is almost empty , there is a pleasant smell and i can breathe better, Mrs likes this too, suppose its a bit like a cheap humidifyer,

Cheers,Lickey..

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Take your pick. Just Chonburi/Pattaya already looks just fine right now:

http://www.pcd.go.th/AirQuality/Regional/Default.cfm

[samuibeachcomber]

the best places for pollution free air has to be the islands(any islands)for cool sea breezes.

Edited March 10, 2009 by samuibeachcomber

[mistresserika]

Only time we've ever gotten smoke was years ago when the fires in Indo were so bad that the smoke reached up here. Couldn't see Samui, 5k away. Normally, however, the air is clean

You're lucky SBK. Here on Samui we get all of the coconut burners belching out dense smoke from daybreak until after dusk. That's apart from all of the roadside rubbish fires.

[samuibeachcomber]

Only time we've ever gotten smoke was years ago when the fires in Indo were so bad that the smoke reached up here. Couldn't see Samui, 5k away. Normally, however, the air is clean

You're lucky SBK. Here on Samui we get all of the coconut burners belching out dense smoke from daybreak until after dusk. That's apart from all of the roadside rubbish fires.

can you tell what part of samui you live in?I am in bohput area and have never experienced this.

[mistresserika]

Only time we've ever gotten smoke was years ago when the fires in Indo were so bad that the smoke reached up here. Couldn't see Samui, 5k away. Normally, however, the air is clean

You're lucky SBK. Here on Samui we get all of the coconut burners belching out dense smoke from daybreak until after dusk. That's apart from all of the roadside rubbish fires.

can you tell what part of samui you live in?I am in bohput area and have never experienced this.

Most inland areas between Lamai and Nathon.

[Soulwy]

What about Mae Sot area?

[Gary A]

It's a strange thing for me. I have a condo in Jomtien but we live upcountry. The sea air seems fresh and not polluted. BUT, whenever I take a short vacation to Jomtien, within three days I feel like I am getting a cold. Sore throat and all. When I go back home upcountry, within two days it clears up, so obviously it isn't a cold. We do have occasional smoke from burning up here, but it isn't bad.

[wasabi]

I've chimed in on just about every thread related to this and will do so again. I was just talking to a friend today about the pollution and how the problem seems to be exponentiating. It seems the carbon monoxide and other chemical particle are taking on a life of their own and propagating with merciless virulence. There are many days where I can barely see the skyline from atop the foot bridge near Asoke or MBK. It's amazing that people deal with the problem by paper face masks rather than implementing some type of regulations. But I gather it's a conflict of economic interests from factories and lack of awareness from whatever is spewing out of just about every vehicle here. I have even taken up occasional smoking. I figured if my lungs are going to suffer I might as well be enjoying myself.

I find the seaside towns are the only places with a semblance of clean air but even those places only have pockets of freshness. This ain't no Swiss Alps!

[chiang mai]

how is pollution in phucket?

I'm coming to thailand to train, and I want to avoid pollution at all cost...

I've lived in Phuket for two years and have not experienced any problems whatsoever with pollution.

[churchill]

Only time we've ever gotten smoke was years ago when the fires in Indo were so bad that the smoke reached up here. Couldn't see Samui, 5k away. Normally, however, the air is clean

You're lucky SBK. Here on Samui we get all of the coconut burners belching out dense smoke from daybreak until after dusk. That's apart from all of the roadside rubbish fires.

can you tell what part of samui you live in?I am in bohput area and have never experienced this.

Most inland areas between Lamai and Nathon.

Inland areas between Lamai and Nathon ? You must live next to a coconut burner . Why ?

I live in Ban Tai , never any smoke or pollution

[Soulwy]

Driving the road from C.Rai to C.Mai I saw where the smoke comes from. Along the road I saw big black burned pieces of land. A lady told me when Hilltribe people move from place to place they burn the ground. It is easier and faster than to cut the plants and trees.

[billaaa777]

Close your windows in your condo and turn on the AC. Other than that move to the South Pole.

[dumball]

Close your windows in your condo and turn on the AC. Other than that move to the South Pole.

I had several reasons for moving from Thailand and one of them was polution , I live in Phnom Penh at this time and most nights can clearly see the moon AND stars . Whilst living in Thailand , I found a good walk around major airconditioned stores helped to clean out my air ducts , FOC .

[Brigante7]

NorthEast of Thailand - Nakhon Phanom, perfectly clean air and I live in Scotland so know clean air.

[barrybike]

dan sai in loei is clean ,perfect pollution free zone

[Tagaa]

I live in Mukdahan, ~ 100 klicks South of Nakon Phanom (mentioned earlier). So far, only 1 day of slightly smokey/hazy conditions. Here by the Mekong, there is almost always a breeze. Result is good clean air.

Sorry for the shameless, self promotion but.......I have a very nice home for sale, smoke free & on the river if you would like to live on the water & breath clean air.

http://classifieds.thaivisa.com/real-estat...-rai-19550.html

Edited March 14, 2009 by Tagaa

[Travel2003]

I live only 14 Km outside Downtown Bangkok.

Chatujak area.

Huge difference.

No problems at all here.

[Soulwy]

Close your windows in your condo and turn on the AC. Other than that move to the South Pole.

I had several reasons for moving from Thailand and one of them was polution , I live in Phnom Penh at this time and most nights can clearly see the moon AND stars . Whilst living in Thailand , I found a good walk around major airconditioned stores helped to clean out my air ducts , FOC .

Coming back from Thailand people asking: So Soulwy, what have you done in Thailand?

- Well, I visited every Big C in the country

But I think Thailand is not the only Asian country with this smog en smoke problem, is it?

And is there a Thai committee/ project or something fighting for clean air? Educating people about

other ways to get rid of the crops/ dried plants & trees?