What is the story with this air quality?

[mikey88]

I just arrived yesterday....what is happening with the terrible air quality in Chiang Mai?

Please tell me this will clear and I will be able to breathe soon...

I looked at the fixed thread but it seems to have stories from January this year...

Old Mike

[daoyai]

Relax and breath it is only (mostly) fog. When the smoke comes, you will smell it.

[BlackArtemis]

If this classifies as horrible, I hope you don't plan to be here in March.

[villagefarang]

After the rice harvest I have noticed a lot of burning and I can definitely smell the smoke here in Chiang Rai. This system seems to be trapping the smoke but I am hopeful things will clear up a bit this next week. It has been raining all morning here.

[CMfoodie]

Certainly not just fog... allergies are acting up big time. Supposed to rain today so that should clear some of whatever is out there.

[eyecatcher]

Its like a very low dog, lots of few in the air.,its quite refreshing actually why the moans?

Was raining lightly in west of the city this morning, slight breeze...wonderful.

Sent via tin can and string after pigeon shot

[eyecatcher]

Low dog indeed!

I mean Fog of course.

Sent via tin can and string after pigeon shot

[eyecatcher]

And Dew

Made a right bogs dollocks of that post.

Sent via tin can and string after pigeon shot

[hml367]

They are burning some rice fields already.

Went up the Somoeng Road from the Canal Road on Thursday and there was a lot of burning and no fog.

[elektrified]

Certainly not just fog... allergies are acting up big time. Supposed to rain today so that should clear some of whatever is out there.

Been raining lightly since 7:30 in Sansai.

[samsara]

it aint fog. welcome to the new, extended burning season!

[beau thai]

Dont worry eyecatcher, just have another drink

Not sure if I am insensitive, unobservant or lucky but I havent noticed any change in the air quality.

Random thought: how may people affected by it are smokers?!

[Mickeem]

After the rice harvest I have noticed a lot of burning and I can definitely smell the smoke here in Chiang Rai. This system seems to be trapping the smoke but I am hopeful things will clear up a bit this next week. It has been raining all morning here.

Yea just been up in Chiang Rai and after the harvest has just been bagged, smokey fires in the paddies can be seen everywhere.

Same Mae Hong Song and Chaing Mai provinces and across the border

[A1Str8]

Nothing is happening. Business as usual. Thai ingenuity dictates the following: let's set everything on fire, let the mofo burn. It's been like that for a long time and they have no intention to change it. I think its against their religion to fix things.

[bangkokrick]

Qrr

[Thailand]

They are burning some rice fields already.

Went up the Somoeng Road from the Canal Road on Thursday and there was a lot of burning and no fog.

Started mid December last year, looks like we are in for a long haul of 4-5 months of it peaking as usual in Feb/ March and in to April.

[Thailand]

But not to worry about the "haze"

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/688643-pm-yingluck-readies-state-agencies-to-combat-annual-haze-pollution-in-north/

All in hand so expect to see it well policed and controlled!

[northernjohn]

Nothing is happening. Business as usual. Thai ingenuity dictates the following: let's set everything on fire, let the mofo burn. It's been like that for a long time and they have no intention to change it. I think its against their religion to fix things.

You are obviously new to Chiang Mai. Wait until March and you will learn what smoke is. If my memory serves me rite we had some smokey days in December last year also. As a rule of thumb it is in February when the real smoke starts to set in and April when it leaves.

Part of the reason for the smokey season in March is in addition to all the farmers burning the fields off. We have uncontrolled forest fires in Northern Thailand and neighboring countries.

[daoyai]

it aint fog. welcome to the new, extended burning season!

As I said, it is mostly fog depending where you are, burning started weeks ago so smoke is a component. If this current haze was primarily smoke as it will be soon enough, we would all be complaining (except for UG ) this is a result of high humidity meeting cold air..... with smoke, smog.

[cardinalblue]

Unfortunately there is a recent trend and air pollution season from burning now extends from Dec - April or until the some rains come in April/May...

Farmers are now clearing the straw from their land by burning especially for the non-rice crops to be planed within the next four weeks..

A number of rice nurseries have been planted so in those fields expect their straw to be burned in the next 30 days...

The mtn clearance for their crops seem to occur btw Jan and Feb which impacts and extends into March and April,,,ridiculously

One can safety say air quality is poor for five months of the year...thai authorities will focus on how many days is their ridiculously high air quality standard is violated...it's just an arbitrary number to fool themselves thinking that if the PM-10 readings are below? air quality is good..we all know that is not true...kick the tires thai authorities..if the mtns can't be seen or not in focus due to haze (rarely does fog reach low lying areas of CM) we have a problem CM...

CB

[CobraSnakeNecktie]

as others have said this is NOTHING Bro.

Just a little smoke particles thrown into the fog. I can ride the bicycle in the mountains for hours and no allergies or lung irritation.

Just wait for Feb/Mar. It's a completely different world. Good time to stay inside and do yoga/exercise or maybe visit the swimming pool.

Could be a crapshoot. A few years ago it rained and rained and postponed burning to the next year.

I am hoping for the rain :-)

[mizztraveller]

I haven't noticed any deterioration in the air quality yet. It's just a bit misty today.

[dbk2322]

according to aqmthai (thai gov website) the pm10 count was 76 in chiang mai on friday. that's a 'moderate' level of air pollution, as in 'moderately bad' or 'not good'.

look out across a field at some buildings 80m away in the middle of the day. that haze you're seeing is particulate, not fog.

checking the 'air quality index' on pcd.go.th - the 'aqi' in and around cm is well over 50 most days of the year. 20 is considered okay. in other words, cm air quality is not okay most of the year, though it gets much worse during the jan-apr months of the 'burning season' when aqi will be up around 80-100 (or worse) with very little respite for months.

how often is the air quality 'good' in chiang mai? ('aqi' of 16-31) the answer is, not very often. it will be in the 20s for a few days to a week or so here and there, mostly in july-oct. let's be really generous and say 5-6 weeks of 'good' air quality altogether, though the days do not run consecutively so there is no 'good' season.

Edited December 13, 2013 by dbk2322

[CMNightRider]

Relax and breath it is only (mostly) fog. When the smoke comes, you will smell it.

Unfortunately this isn't fog. It's smoke and we are getting it much too early. I can't imagine what it will be like in March. :-(

[HaleySabai]

it aint fog. welcome to the new, extended burning season!

What!.... no wonder I am hacking and coughing all the time. Been here more than 10yrs and can live happily with 4-months of nice weather (oct-Jan), but if the agro-burn-off is going to be a standard condition here, we are to be sure, making tracks out. My wife is Karen and has relatives in Omkoi we recently considered by some land there for a summer get away to pine forests and clean air....and nice people.........

[WinnieTheKhwai]

it aint fog. welcome to the new, extended burning season!

What!.... no wonder I am hacking and coughing all the time. Been here more than 10yrs and can live happily with 4-months of nice weather (oct-Jan), but if the agro-burn-off is going to be a standard condition here, we are to be sure, making tracks out. My wife is Karen and has relatives in Omkoi we recently considered by some land there for a summer get away to pine forests and clean air....and nice people.........

Om Koi is still in the North (Chiang Mai province even), so it's affected just like everywhere else. Perhaps a bit less if you're truly far high up. But I wouldn't bet the farm on it.

As far as air pollution, we saw moderately high levels yesterday, but after the rain in the evening levels dropped. What you're seeing right now in the morning is fog and clouds.

You get these little spikes at any time during the dry season. We'll soon return to your typical winter programming with cool temperatures and blue skies.

[Just1Voice]

I live about 16-17 klm east of the city on the way to San Kamphaeng. So far haven't noticed much change in the air quality, only in the temps, which I love. Six years ago when we first moved out here, we were surrounded by rice paddies, and the air was very bad. Now most of the paddies are gone, replaced with new Moo Baans, stores, businesses and the past couple of years it's actually been decent here.

[thrilled]

It's definitely not good for your lungs.People with asthma have problems

[ricardofel]

The first 3 months in CM last year over 30,000 people went to hospitals for respiratory problems. Studies have been done that show the air quality over time (less time for many) will affect your well being. It will never clear up for those 3-4 months, incompetence, corruption, stupidity of all government officials and Thais who burn on a daily basis is what you can expect for the future.

[Longtooth]

My two baht input would be that ChiangMai is in a basin surrounded by mountains. Similar to Los Angeles. ChiangRai area, on the other hand, just has burning everywhere, so there is no escape! Humankind is determined to make the planet uninhabitable. Good job so far. On the mountain hignway between ChiangRai and ChiangMai, they love to burn the sides of the road up the steep, rocky, mountainsides. No way you could farm or plant anything there. Why are people spending the effort to burn it back all the way up the unfarmable mountainside? Unfathomable. (Today must be my "un" day.)