Chiang Mai Speeds Up Effort To Fight Air Pollution

[webfact]

Chiang Mai Speeds Up Effort to Fight Air Pollution

CHIANG MAI: -- The Chiang Mai Administration Organization and the Royal Thai Air Force are gearing up to handle the smog crisis.

Chiang Mai Governor Panadda Disakul yesterday convened with the Thai Royal Air Force and other related agencies at the Air Force's Wing 41 Division headquarters to seek solutions to the wildfire and smog crisis in the province.

The Provincial Administration Organization has requested the Air Force to send aircrafts in fighting a new round of haze pollution. Residents are now suffering from the ongoing crisis.

Ad-hoc team division deputy director under the Directorate of Operations, Group Captain Sorasit Kittipol, reiterated during the conference that the Royal Thai Air Force Commander have priortized the smog problem as their main mission.

He instructed the Air Force to provide support to help resolve the problems to alleviate the locals' misery.

Sorasit pointed out that the two aircrafts, modeled BT 67, were stationed in the province since March 15.

Two planes are being dispatched 12 times daily to carry out rainmaking operations. Each craft could drop around 3,500 liters of water to ease haze.

Panadda added that the Air Force mission will focus mainly on the area of Doi Suthep-Pui National Park, the Phu Phing Ratchaniwet Palace as well as the areas in which the situation is worsening.

The meeting agreed that smog crisis would be set as the upper northern provinces' urgent agenda in the long-term strategy.

Meanwhile, the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department reported that a total of eight provinces, namely Chiang Mai, Lamphun, Lampang, Phayao, Nan, Mae Hong Son, and Tak provinces, are still being threatened by the smog crisis.

Also, the PM 10 level, which measures the density of very minute dust particles in the air, was recorded at 441.6 micrograms per cubic meter in Chiang Rai's Mae Sai District, which far exceeds the safety standard.

-- Tan Network 2012-03-22

[webfact]

Chiang Mai fights haze; low visibility, health threats continue

CHIANG MAI, March 22 - Haze from forest fires and airborne dust particles beyond safety levels still blanket the city of Chiang Mai, affecting air traffic in this northern province.

Chiang Mai Airport is under siege by haze and dust particles. The airport is using runway lights during daylight hours due to low visibility, and all roads in the provincial seat are experiencing visibility of less than 500 metres.

Local residents are wearing sunglasses and masks to prevent eye and nose irritation.

According to the provincial disease control office, in the past five weeks, more than 240,000 people sought medical treatment for haze-related illnesses at 87 hospitals in eight northern provinces.

The official tally recorded over 100,000 patients with coronary heart disease, another 100,000 patients with respiratory diseases and about 20,000 persons suffering from eye inflammation and dermatitis.

Meanwhile, the Meteorological Department warned of summer thunderstorms in the coming five days countrywide, first in the northeastern and eastern regions as a moderate high pressure system is forecast to extend into Thailand from tonight with northeasterly winds.

Thunderstorms, thundershowers, gusty winds and hail are expected from Friday through Tuesday.

Meanwhile, easterly winds over southern Thailand are likely to cause isolated heavy rain with gusty winds.

Scattered thundershowers are expected in 40-60 per cent of Bangkok and the metropolitan region. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2012-03-22

[Thailand]

Or the very simple way would be significantly hefty fines on the owners of the land where the fires are burning.That actually worked quite well in a country which I lived in before.

But I guess the chances of that happening here are very slim as it is likely those very same landowners have a big say on what will or will not happen.

I suppose we have to be grateful some heed is being paid to the problem even though the horse has long bolted and it is more likely the rains will come and it will all be put on the back burner until next years smog returns.

Edited March 22, 2012 by Thailand

[msg362]

Duh! How do sunglasses stop eyes from becoming irritated?

[iang]

There's major education needed for the locals too. Now being too scared to light their fires during the daytime & of being spotted, my neighbours in the village behind our moo baan now simply wait until it gets dark & then light their rubbish fires! Unbelievable - so we wake pretty much every morning to a light smoke haze, spiced up with a sprinkle of carconagenic toxins from burning waste plastics!

[belg]

thailand, hub of floods and fires

[Tywais]

If they are going to use aircraft why not just get some of these?

[saroq]

Duh! How do sunglasses stop eyes from becoming irritated?

Duh! If you don't understand how wearing glasses prevents particles from getting into your eyes. Honestly!

[saroq]

Or the very simple way would be significantly hefty fines on the owners of the land where the fires are burning.That actually worked quite well in a country which I lived in before.

But I guess the chances of that happening here are very slim as it is likely those very same landowners have a big say on what will or will not happen.

I suppose we have to be grateful some heed is being paid to the problem even though the horse has long bolted and it is more likely the rains will come and it will all be put on the back burner until next years smog returns.

Who is going to fine all of the people in neighboring countries who are buring off the vegetation on their land?

[Robroy]

Burning is the only cause, and banning burning is the only solution.

In Cambodia, where I now live, rice is generally not burned off, so there is no haze problem whatever.

I left Chiang Mai five years ago because of this problem. I wonder how many others have done likewise.

[oldgent]

the perpitratiors should be held responseable for paying medical costs for all who were effected

[tigermonkey]

There's major education needed for the locals too. Now being too scared to light their fires during the daytime & of being spotted, my neighbours in the village behind our moo baan now simply wait until it gets dark & then light their rubbish fires! Unbelievable - so we wake pretty much every morning to a light smoke haze, spiced up with a sprinkle of carconagenic toxins from burning waste plastics!

You need to be careful about what " major education" they are receiving. We live in a village in central changwat Lamphun - the governor of Lamphun has been telling everyone for weeks that the problem is not smoke -- it is dust.

Yesterday, they did a major cleanup of the soccer pitch, since there is a big government event starting there tomorrow. I counted no less than 17 large smoky bonfires around the pitch. The air was unbreathable without a mask (N95)

I went and had it out with with Puyai Baan -- he said " Burning is no problem -- it is all dust not smoke" .

Today, the water sprinkler trucks have been past 5 or 6 times, settling the dust on the roads.

[UdeBoCM]

Duh! How do sunglasses stop eyes from becoming irritated?

Duh! If you don't understand how wearing glasses prevents particles from getting into your eyes. Honestly!

Duh! How do sunglasses stop eyes from becoming irritated?

Duh! If you don't understand how wearing glasses prevents particles from getting into your eyes. Honestly!

For the dumb ones: sunglasses on motosai !

[UdeBoCM]

Progress can only happen if there is a voice. Do what your heart (or maybe your lungs!) tell you to do......

Sign the petition at …. www.breathecampaign.net

and pass it on!

[MILT]

Burning is the only cause, and banning burning is the only solution. In Cambodia, where I now live, rice is generally not burned off, so there is no haze problem whatever. I left Chiang Mai five years ago because of this problem. I wonder how many others have done likewise.

Robroy, Tell me that Thais burning the forest and rice stubble wasn't the only reason you stopped taking up space in Thailand. Also how is Cambodia? I've never been there and have always flirted with the idea of visiting. Food? et. Visa rules? I know my questions are bit off topic but would like to hear what the story is living in Cambodia.

[chiangmaibruce]

Or the very simple way would be significantly hefty fines on the owners of the land where the fires are burning.That actually worked quite well in a country which I lived in before.<snip>

This week I emailed the Pollution Control Department and asked them:

Can you please tell me how many fines have been issued/imposed for unauthorised lighting of fires in Northern Thailand region in 2012?

They answered:

"Unfortunately, The Pollution Control Department do not have the authority to issue fines or prosecute illegal uses of fires. Thus we do not carry official information about such fines. Provincial police offices might carry the information you need. For Information about forest fires, please contact Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation for this information ( http://www.dnp.go.th and their e-mail contacts: http://www.dnp.go.th...3/mailparo1.htm )"

Now enforcement isn't the only part of "control", but it's an important part. Here the main agency responsible for control not only can't enforce the law but apparently is so disinterested that they don't have statistics on enforcement .. nor do they even know with any certainty where such statistics might be sourced from. Can we assume that they have never even bothered to ask/investigate?

Assuming my email didn't get answered by a new member of staff (doubtful given the good English), it's mind numbing how they be so ineffective about what is clearly such an important issue. It also begs the question "what do the staff of the PCD do all day?" ... in terms of actually controlling pollution

Edited March 22, 2012 by chiangmaibruce

[TinoThailand]

Speed up? Speed up for north Thai... North Thai are none to be more slow then Thai. I feel like I am smoking again after quit a long time already. Some days i could look right into the sun at noon and some days there was no sun at all. I live in Suthep and did not see Doi Suthep. Horrible!!

Please sign: http://www.breathecampaign.net/

[Chupup]

Yesterday the Offical numbers for Chang Mai air Polution were 132 just above safe (120 ), today the lie is out and its over 400

Why oh Why do these officals come out with this B S just to cover their &lt;deleted&gt; when just by looking you can (not) see the polution is WELL OVER what they are saying........................DON'T LIE........................EDUCATE..................STOP BURNING

[msg362]

Surely the title is a joke? I was involved in a interview with a cardiologist recently. Increase in acute cardiac arrest, equivalent to smoking 20 cigarettes a day and none of us have any choice. The thin paper masks many people wear are pointless and ineffective. But it's OK,some bigwig got up a fire ladder and sprayed water for a few minutes Problem solved! My only consolation is this is one problem the bigwigs can't escape from ,they have to breath the same air as the rest of us.

[WtFugarwe]

Actually, we do have a choice. We can A) leave this, our host country and settle somewhere else get involved in some community activity to gently and respectfully persuade (read; Not Attack) the Government to treat this with the same sense of urgency that they treated the North Thailand flood last year, or C) sit back, do nothing, and feel sorry for ourselves.

Any solution that only requires the other guy to change is bound to fail.. Vehicle emissions, while less irritating, contain far more dangerous concentrations of carcinogens and we breathe them all year. No rural farmer is going to buy into a solution where only hebears the brunt.