Thailand's North Braces For Intense Air-Pollution Season

[webfact]

North braces for intense air-pollution season

By VARATAYA CHAILANGKA,

EKKAPONG PRADITPONG

The air pollution season in the North might be worse this year, as smog has been spotted in several areas and forest fires in Chiang Mai and Lamphun have doubled from last year's level.

Wichai Kitmee, acting director of Protected Areas Regional Office 16, yesterday said the hot and arid conditions would cause a build-up of dry leaves. Mae Cham district alone has 30,000 tonnes of cornhusks, most of which will be disposed of by burning.

Mae Cham, Om Koi, Hot, Chom Thong and Chiang Dao are the smog-prone districts, he said.

Surapol Leelawaroros, head of the office's Forest Fire Division, said 500 wildfires had been reported in Chiang Mai and Lamphun this year, destroying 3,000 rai of land.

This represents a 200-per-cent hike from the same period last year.

Although smog is visible in some areas at certain times of the day, fine-particle dust has increased only slightly and air quality is still within the legal standard, he said.

Chiang Mai Governor Amornphan Nimanan urged the public to stop lighting fires outdoors and instructed officials to be on guard and seriously implement legal measures against violators.

Local soldiers will soon be dispatched to patrol Doi Suthep-Pui National Park until the end of April to watch out for such air polluters.

Mae Hong Son is hosting a campaign promoting community participation in preventing forest fires.

The province is using Bt2.5 million from the Thai Khemkhaeng stimulus budget to hire locals in 79 villages of seven districts from December-May as volunteer forest firefighters.

-- The Nation 2010-02-22

[newsfooter][/newsfooter]

[gotlost]

Do Tell!

[WinnieTheKhwai]

So many numbers in a Nation article. Nuff said..

(So far it's been a lot better than last year. This shows from the www.pcd.go.th data that I'm sure the newspaper journalist had access to, too.)

Doesn't look like it'll be any more intense than any other March. The article kind of reads like those predicting earth-quakes a couple months out; Thai Professor type people are good at that.

[Donnyboy]

looked like pea soup out there this morning

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Picture? Blue skies here. (a bit out of Chiang Mai town)

But don't take my word for it:

http://www.pcd.go.th/AirQuality/Regional/Default.cfm (Check the PM-10 column).

This for Chiang Mai town:

Edited February 22, 2010 by WinnieTheKhwai

[Donnyboy]

Chiang Mai Governor Amornphan Nimanan urged the public to stop lighting fires outdoors and instructed officials to be on guard and seriously implement legal measures against violators

like thats working!

[villagefarang]

Chiang Rai is definitely beginning to look like it could be a repeat of a few years back. Around here the villagers are burning with real gusto. Some nights the mountains glow red and in the morning are smoldering like active volcanos.

Even a few days of strong winds didn't help. This morning is cold again and the mountains have disappeared from view.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Chiang Mai Governor Amornphan Nimanan urged the public to stop lighting fires outdoors and instructed officials to be on guard and seriously implement legal measures against violators

like thats working!

On roads into the Chiang Mai town urban areas police were checking vehicle emissions, basically stopping and testing every older looking pick-up truck. And there are numbers you can call in case you spot fires. So 'something 'is being done. The issue though is that any small time emissions are like a drop in a bucket compared to field burning in the larger region, stretching well into Burma and Laos. Still, there's benefit in curbing local emissions obviously.

Chiang Rai is definitely beginning to look like it could be a repeat of a few years back. Around here the villagers are burning with real gusto. Some nights the mountains glow red and in the morning are smoldering like active volcanos.

Even a few days of strong winds didn't help. This morning is cold again and the mountains have disappeared from view.

Note the reason that it looks worse in the morning on cold mornings is that you get a lot of condensation as well. So a big part of what you're looking at is actually just foggy water vapor. But yes, Chiang Rai looks worse at the moment, with one day (18 Feb) actually going above the PM-10 limit (122; limit is at 120). I don't think this is predictable a month out though. The real test will be in March.

Edited February 22, 2010 by WinnieTheKhwai

[Rinrada]

Just spoke to khun wifee who has just got back to Mae-On and she says its a nice day ,blue sky and she has got her builders in again....and tractors ....

thats wot bothers me...more bedrooms...???... ...mai fie

[MESmith]

[

On roads into the Chiang Mai town urban areas police were checking vehicle emissions, basically stopping and testing every older looking pick-up truck.  

Those are just money making operations.  They totally floor the accelerator for way too long.  And they do it 3 times.  Do a google to see how the test should be done.  My truck, along with all the other stradas built at time, gives out some smoke when under stress, such as climbing a hill.  Did so from new, as did other stradas.  My truck is regularly serviced, passes the annual inspection, but next time those crooks in brown stop me, I'll just volunteer the fine, without their test.  I seriously thought they were going to destroy the engine   These thieves are often located on hwy 11 heading north, under the flyover between Airport & San Kamphaeng.  Take the frontage road to avoid.

[cmsally]

2.5 million to HIRE firefighters who are volunteers. So are they volunteers or employees??

[bushwacker]

"The province is using Bt2.5 million from the Thai Khemkhaeng stimulus budget to hire locals in 79 villages of seven districts from December-May as volunteer forest firefighters"

Hmmmm.... if you hire locals in 79 villages and pay them money to do a job .... like Bt2.5 million how is it they are still "volunteer forest firefighters". Did the government say .... hey i would like to hire you to do a job. The local says ok ... what is the job? The government says i will pay you to be a volunteer! Hmmm???

This makes me wonder why I did not get any money for the years the volunteer work that I did back home. MISSED OUT AGAIN!

[ding]

I've never understood this. Why don't they compost it? Is fertile soil bad?

In America there's a part-time firefighter caught starting these kinds of fires from time to time.I'm just saying...

[chiangmaiexpat]

I am sorry, but we haven't seen any "nice blue sky" in Chiang Mai for at least two weeks. The burning has started early this year, and it is definitely visible all over Chiang Mai, because the sky has faded from a brilliant blue to an ash-grey-blue colour for at least that long. It is also quite possible to smell the dust in the city (and around) if one's olfactory nerves are functioning properly and people start complaining about symptoms. Although the particulate matter pollution levels are within Thai-defined limits, they have exceed EU-defined limits for the mentioned period of time. Due to the bad prognosis this year, our family has decided to leave Chiang Mai at the beginning of March and spend a month in Bangkok. I can only advise anyone planning to travel to Chiang Mai not to come until approx. mid-April unless absolutely necessary.

Cheers, CMX

[Thailand]

Yep, the clear blue sky must be in a part of Chiang Mai I never go to, even looking out of my window it's hazy and Doi Suthep has all but disappeared. Ash is falling again the pool and patio is full of it and filters are now changed twice a day.

Was up at Hang Dong this morning and spotted 5 fires burning in the vicinity.

Roll on the rains.

[Donnyboy]

Picture? Blue skies here. (a bit out of Chiang Mai town)

heres my pic from my balcony in SK

taken 5 mins ago

sorry couldnt upload from camera, but this is from my phone

not blue skies, misty grey

some condensation may have burnt off but still grey

closed all doors and windows as well due to the smell of smoke

wish it was better like where you are WTK

[jdinasia]

I am inside the moat and very close to Chiang Mai Ram Hospital and Doi Suthep is not visible. Apparently Winnie is in a different part of Chiang Mai town.

[ManilaLover]

With other words, they just keep getting away with admitting they are totally unable to implement environmental laws by serious punishment, educating the people is not an issue at all etc. so never ever something will change to the positive here.

The problem is called ไม่ เป็นไร 'mai-pen-arai' I don't care, I don't give a shit

Sad but true !

Edited February 22, 2010 by ManilaLover

[lannarebirth]

I don't know. This seems like one of the better years I can recall. Probably the forest burning hasn't started in earnest yet though.

[Sao Jiang Mai]

Every year it seems like its the worst year ever. But the mountains are lit up at night with burning now. People just can't quite grasp that we are all accountable. A couple of years ago, even after reading the riot act to my gardener about burning, I came into the office on a weekend when we don't work and caught him sheepishly burning something. Unbelievable.

[moskito]

destroying 3,000 rai of land.

since when land can be destroyed? its just some farmland after some time I guess.

Educating the people better and teach them that smoke is not good for their health should help, but who is intrested in this?

[Donnyboy]

destroying 3,000 rai of land.

since when land can be destroyed? its just some farmland after some time I guess.

we're talking about The Nation here, dont expect too much

[Shazza]

Well it may be not as bad as other years, but I think my lungs are deteriorating, I've been coughing since Christmas due to a horrible cold/flu thing and now the dirty air is keeping the cough there. Any suggestions? Are inhalers bad for you in other ways even though they keep the cough away? Any natural remedies? Leaving isn't an option at this stage....

[chiang mai]

Sympathies to those affected, if it helps any, Phuket also has been a little "foggy" for a couple of days, dust on the car in the morning and visibility is down to, oh, I don't know, maybe five miles or so.

Edited February 22, 2010 by chiang mai

[Donnyboy]

Sympathies to those affected, if it helps any, Phuket also has been a little "foggy" for a couple of days, dust on the car in the morning and visibility is down to, oh, I don't know, maybe five miles or so.

thanks for yr supportive words

[mommysboy]

So many numbers in a Nation article. Nuff said..

(So far it's been a lot better than last year. This shows from the www.pcd.go.th data that I'm sure the newspaper journalist had access to, too.)

Doesn't look like it'll be any more intense than any other March. The article kind of reads like those predicting earth-quakes a couple months out; Thai Professor type people are good at that.

Yeah, that's right! keep talking and soon you'll be able to bottle it and sell it as a health cure!

[wehugheog]

Hmm I could access the pcd websitr last year, but I can not this year. I CAN ping it (fast), but no pages...

Anyone else have the same problem?

[brahmburgers]

Well, it may seem small consolation, but because of the much less-than-usual rainfall during the rainy season, there was not as much general foliage, so there's a bit less to burn overall.

Any trees in northern Thailand that aren't getting artificially watered are having a tough time. Some are dying, some are putting their survival energy in to just some parts. Because trees are weakened, it's important to look for beetle damage. There are also at least two plant parasites to look for: one is a bunch of long yellow strings, which can cover foliage. The other gets in to branches, like mistletoe, and puts out its own branches with its own leaves. For the latter, it's best to cut off the infected branch.

For beetles, look for holes in the bark and any gooey residue. Where beetles have a home, there will likely be other opportunist bugs as well as fungi, little centipedes and such. You might try making a concoction of the following: petroleum jelly mixed with any of the following: garlic juice, cayenne, tobacco (put your used butts to work), and nutmeg, and a bit of liquid soap. If you can't find p.jelly, just mix it in water, filter it with cloth, and spray it - particularly at the base of the tree.

If you see ants nesting in the tree (or their thin clay shieldings on the bark), it's probably good, as ants protect their spaces and don't eat plants parts. Similarly, termites on standing trees aren't so bad, as they'll only eat the dead parts, but they can't kill live tree cells.

[Bulles]

Same problem, what does it mean ...

Hmm I could access the pcd websitr last year, but I can not this year. I CAN ping it (fast), but no pages...

Anyone else have the same problem?

[MESmith]

Burning?  Not in my neighbourhood.......