Locals Pay High Price For Health: Haze In North Thailand

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NORTH HAZE

Locals pay high price for health

Sakrawrat Sirima,

Prapaporn Krue-ngew

The Nation

Many spend Bt4,000 a month on oxygen machines due to pollution

LAMPANG: -- Hundreds of people in Lampang province's Mae Moh district are spending more than Bt4,000 a month to use a mobile oxygen machine known as a bronchodilator to help them breathe amid the haze that has reached record levels.

"The villagers are suffering from respiratory symptoms caused by pollution from bush and forest fires and power-generating activity at the lignite-fuelled Mae Moh power plant," community spokesperson Nakwiroj said yesterday.

After falling ill with respiratory symptoms, villagers are seeking medication and attention from hospitals and clinics. Many need to use the bronchodilator every four weeks, paying at least Bt4,000 a month for it.

" They have to pay this amount to the hospital as they want to extend their lives," she added.

About 80 per cent of patients are suffering from respiratory symptoms caused by small particles from the lignite power plant and 20 per cent from bush and forest fires, Maliwan said.

Villagers report suffering from eye problems, nasal illness symptoms, and headaches. Many cannot see beyond three kilometres.

lampang blanketed

The Pollution Control Department yesterday reported that the atmospheric level of fine-particle dust or PM10 - 236.88 micrograms per cubic metre - has exceeded the highest recorded.

"The situation has never arisen before in Lampang province," Natural Resources and Environment Ministry provincial officer Apiwat Arammon-tiralai said.

The heavy haze blanketing nine upper northern provinces has prompted the government to launch a "no burning" project, with a campaign among people living in the North to stop their traditional slash-and-burn land clearance methods.

The campaign was organised by a civil society group called Palang Jit Ar-Sa (The Power of Spirit) to resolve haze pollution. Volunteers, including physicians, police, students, and artists have joined the group.

The event was aimed at educating people on how to tackle the haze crisis that has persisted for more than a month. The campaign also wanted to raise awareness among people over natural resource conservation.

PM's Office Minister Woravat Auapinyakul said that Premier Yingluck Shinawatra had instructed state agencies to resolve the problem of haze pollution within a week.

Wrongdoers who illegally burn bush and forest face a six-month jail term and a fine of Bt50,000.

Woravat also asked local authorities to use water trucks to spray in the air and reduce haze particles.

The Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency will capture satellite images twice a day to monitor the forest fire hotspots in the North and report to the PM.

Natural Resources and Environ-ment Ministry permanent secretary Chote Trachoo said he believes the haze situation in the upper northern provinces will return to normal once these strict measures and penalties for illegal forest and bush fires take effect.

-- The Nation 2012-03-08

[MESmith]

"Natural Resources and Environ-ment Ministry permanent secretary Chote Trachoo said he believes the haze situation in the upper northern provinces will return to normal once these strict measures and penalties for illegal forest and bush fires take effect."

Until next year....

[CBR250]

The economics of the northern haze are interesting. The main contributors to the haze are those clearing land for rice planting - although the year-long contribution of high concentrations of carcinogens from poorly maintained diesel engines, along with industrial pollution, should also be acknowledged. So a few thousand people save a few baht by land clearing with fire, and not maintaining their vehicles adequately. The costs of the haze, however, are borne by millions of people, and far exceed the small profits made by the polluters. Costs include those needing hospital care, purchase of medicines, masks, air purifiers for respiratory problems, the lost productivity from unwell employees, the loss of tourist dollars (and even of residents who move south for a few months). Given these factors, maybe a partial solution lies with advocacy from local business interests, as govt agencies on their own seem incapable of preventing the same problems again next year.

CBR250

[theblether]

Thai farmers are capable of hard work. The government should offer an incentive scheme for non slash and burn, and should buy the cleared foliage for mulching, bagging and re-sale as fertilizer. Show Thai farmers a potential profit source and this problem within Thailand will disappear quickly. There will still be problems with haze coming in from Burman though, but let's start with man mind thyself.

If this country can afford netbooks for all, then it can certainly afford the scheme I am proposing.

[anterian]

Rice stubble is a valuable commodity, it can be used to make insulation board, packaging, fuel bricks, and many other uses.

[harrry]

This makes no sense.

A bronchodilator is a medicine such as ventolin used to dilate the closed up airways in respiritory conditions. It may be administered by puffers or by nebulising with an air pump.

Nebuliser solution costs 760 baht for a bout two months supply which have to be mixed with saline solution. Imported ampules of premixed solution are available. These cost me about 22 baht each making the current monthly cost for me in these conditions round 3000 a month. If I used the bottles it would cost me only round 400 baht.

If they are talking about oxygen the cost of bottled oxygen is high but an oxygen concentrator which uses about 50watts of electricity costs 20000baht to buy and will last at least 3 years.

[tragickingdom]

More people get killed by the Haze than by drugs in Thailand. Only the authorities from low to high make more money in drugs so it makes sense to fight a quasi war over drugs to push out your competitors. It is very easy to punish people burning something> make a satellite picture 4 times a day, also at night. Pinpoint the locations with GPS and hold the Kamnan responsible. If it is happening three times in three months he loses his job together with the local police boss. I am sure that the problem is solved within a week.