Smog Returns In Thailand's Upper North

[webfact]

Smog returns in Upper North

The Nation

Chiang Mai

CHIANG MAI: -- Artificial rainmaking flights resumed in Chiang Mai yesterday after being suspended on Saturday and haze returned to cover the province, Thai news agencies reported yesterday.

Song Klinprathum, director of the royal rainmaking operations centre in the Upper North, said six flights were set to try to induce rain to reduce haze in Chiang Mai and Mae Hong Son.

Banpote Khantasen, a natural resources and environment official in Chiang Mai, said haze was thick again, partly because of a cold air mass blanketing the North. Air quality at Chiang Mai City Hall was 132 micrograms per cubic metre, just over the 'safe' level of 120 mg.

The province has strictly controlled outdoor burning and kept monitoring the situation. The level of dust particles normally reaches its highest level from March 2226 every year.

The haze has reemerged in Chiang Rai also. Particulate matter smaller than 10 microns was measured at 337 mg per cubic metre in Mae Sai and 202 mg in the provincial seat.

Visibility dropped to less than one kilometre and municipal officials mobilised fire trucks to spray water in the air to ease the haze problem.

Chiang Rai Governor Thanin Supasaen said the smog stemmed from forest burning across the border and a cold air mass in the area, which kept the haze in the lower atmosphere.

He ordered local authorities in four border districts to sprinkle water in an attempt to block haze from the neighbouring country.

-- The Nation 2012-03-19

[skybluestu]

So Chiang Mai is at 132 while Mae Sai is 337 and Chiang Rai muang is 202. Why is it they are doing the rainmaking in Chiang Mai then?!

[chiang mai]

"The province has strictly controlled outdoor burning", so much so that twenty four after the last rain we are right back where we started again, way to go provincial control! BTW, CM is not 132, it may have passed 132 on its way up to 180 but that was unavoidable!!

[skybluestu]

"The province has strictly controlled outdoor burning", so much so that twenty four after the last rain we are right back where we started again, way to go provincial control! BTW, CM is not 132, it may have passed 132 on its way up to 180 but that was unavoidable!!

There is no control! Lets hope that if they do make rain in CM it finds its way up north to Chiang Rai as it has been 250-300 up here for weeks now. We had a few days when it cleared after a storm but it is now back and just as bad, nucelar winter anyone?

If everyone signed this it might not be as bad next year http://www.breathecampaign.net/sign-our-petition/

Edited March 19, 2012 by skybluestu

[yummypizza]

real bad where i am on canal road, near Chiang mai flora, it's actually like walking through fog, had 2 days relief after rain, but it's back in full force since yesterday..

[Kf6vci]

The province has strictly controlled outdoor burning and kept monitoring the situation. Hear, hear!

Chiang Rai Governor Thanin Supasaen said the smog stemmed from forest burning across the border Really?

Glad to hear it's a problem caused by Myanmar. The Chiang Rai governor and "the province politicians" have had everything under control. Not that there was much to be controlled on the Thai side, since the smog originates "from forest burning across the border". And The Nation repeats this hogwash and won't even set the record straight?!?

As long as Thai society prefers lies to facts, what hope does this wonderful country have?

[canopy]

He ordered local authorities in four border districts to sprinkle water in an attempt to block haze from the neighbouring country.

Any chance of sprinkling water on the illegal fires being lit in Thailand?

[furyrider]

and municipal officials mobilised fire trucks to spray water in the air to ease the haze problem.

Isn't that more like pissing into the wind.

[yummypizza]

CHIANG MAI: -- Artificial rainmaking flights resumed in Chiang Mai yesterday after being suspended on Saturday and haze returned to cover the province, Thai news agencies reported yesterday.

Why suspend rain making,Did they think it wouldn't come back? They should try to make it rain all of March every year...

Edited March 19, 2012 by yummypizza

[toybits]

Drove from Chiang Khong to Chiang Rai last Saturday (17th March). There were fires on rice fields being cleared, brush fires on roadsides, fires everywhere. It is no wonder the air is like this!

Bokeo in Lao PDR was much better. Oh there were small fires - because most Lao people use firewood to cook meals - but not large bush fires or fires to clear land for agriculture.

Edited March 19, 2012 by toybits

[1weatherman]

The atmosphere is too dry and stable to produce hardly a cloud over all of northern Thailand. Trying to make it rain will be all for naught, which they should have known yesterday. No rain reported. Today is more of the same. Don't waste time and money. When the atmosphere has enough moisture in it to support rain-making, it will have enough for mother nature to make it herself with thunderstorms.

As for this statement from Chiang Rai Governor Thanin Supasaen: "He ordered local authorities in four border districts to sprinkle water in an attempt to block haze from the neighbouring country". Sprinkle water? I have to laugh.

[Thailand]

"The province has strictly controlled outdoor burning and kept monitoring the situation."

Anybody have the list of those that have been fined or arrested for causing the fires that are all over the province? Or would that be pissing in the wind also?

[canuckamuck]

There isn't enough wind in Thailand to make pissing in it effective.

[Thailand]

There isn't enough wind in Thailand to make pissing in it effective.

Plenty of hot air being spouted by the authorities!

[Robroy]

The smoke is caused by a "cold air mass" and "uncontrolled burning across the border".

You attack it by spraying water from fire trucks.

Really?

Until the practice of burning off rice crops is replaced by returning the stubble to the soil, the north will have a smoke haze problem most years, with all the illness & death, & tourist losses, it brings.

Cambodian rice farmers mostly don't burn - they turn the soil over & return the stubble to it to decay.

Thus there is no smoke haze problem in rural Cambodia, nor has there ever been one.

For all its wonderful strengths, there is a denial of reality in Thailand that's stronger than most places.

E.g. Chalerm's recent PR disaster over there being 'no terrorists in Thailand' and 'everything is completely under control' - shortly before the bombs went off. Or the Chiang Mai authorities in 2007 blaming the smoke haze on Korean barbeque restaurants, and closing them all down.

[Rosco911]

and municipal officials mobilised fire trucks to spray water in the air to ease the haze problem.

Isn't that more like pissing into the wind.

Sure is. Maybe they could use the propellers of the 1000 boats used in the floods to blow it away.

[belg]

they sprinkle the water how many meters in the air ??? i guess it is as effective as the 1000 boats on the river pushing the flood away

oh somebody just beat me in the remark...

so some smart guys tought, let's not spray for 2 days and see what happens

blaming other people (country) is always so much easier than watching what you or your neighbours are doing ...

c'est pas moi, c'est lui

Edited March 19, 2012 by belg

[tomdfc]

There is no visible control. Or any much visible environment, for that matter. What is reported officlally / in the media is nonsense, whoever is responsible for it. This is a catastrophic health situation for millions of people living in this south-east Asian region. It must also be hurting tourism, which is usually the motivator here (sadly). It must already have had a major impact on the climate (where is the hot season in this nuclear winter?) with no doubt consequential impacts on agriculture, the other major industry / employer in the region. Prevention is always better than cure. All that needs done is to find the ivory towers through the smog and tell those who should be responsible. They do not currently seem to understand or be capable of coming up with any constructive answer.

[paulswebb]

I remember as a youth in the UK we used to get very thick fog, which we called pea soupers. Everybody used to burn coal and there was a lot of industrial polution. Remedy the clean air act, we used smokeless fuel or changed to gas and employed environmental officers to monitor the situation. Result reasonably clean air, it can be done, no good saying they have been doing it for years.

[Thailion]

The province has strictly controlled outdoor burning and kept monitoring the situation.

On my way to work this morning (in Chiang Mai) the council workers were sweeping into piles, dead leaves on the side of the super highway and then...you guessed it...set them alight!!!

[bigbamboo]

"The province has strictly controlled outdoor burning and kept monitoring the situation."

Anybody have the list of those that have been fined or arrested for causing the fires that are all over the province? Or would that be pissing in the wind also?

Perhaps they could get the police to piss on the fires instead?

[oilreg]

not wondering about that, my so called smart thai neighbors burn the shit now in the night time,

[chiang mai]

CM's law enforcement is out in force this morning, several points around the moat collecting fines from motorists!!!

[nickjam]

Disgusting air in CR for the last 3 days. Mornings are really bad and no doubt there's a lot of burning going on at night. Based on the rapid return to this situation after the 3-4 days of rain, its obvious that no one is doing anything to prevent it.

[wolfmuc]

"The province has strictly controlled outdoor burning", so much so that twenty four after the last rain we are right back where we started again, way to go provincial control! BTW, CM is not 132, it may have passed 132 on its way up to 180 but that was unavoidable!!

There is no control! Lets hope that if they do make rain in CM it finds its way up north to Chiang Rai as it has been 250-300 up here for weeks now. We had a few days when it cleared after a storm but it is now back and just as bad, nucelar winter anyone?

If everyone signed this it might not be as bad next year http://www.breatheca...n-our-petition/

Let's hope so. - And now some results for the Upper North - Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai and Mae Hongson. Sorry for you guys up there.

[Chupup]

Came home yesterday having spent 5 days in hospital with severe breathing problems due to " smog " there were many Thai Farm workers in the hospital as well with same problem but they had no idea that they were the ones causing the problem, as i was driven home i saw five paddys burning and at least three roadsides, nobody cares, they kill themselves and nobody cares the government talks a lot but nobody listens , ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS , no good pissing on the fires, just make sure no fires are lit, PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE