Smoke, Smog, Dust 2015 Chiang Mai

[vivid]

0800h

35 and 36t PM10 just under 400.

PM2.5 = 342 ug/m3.

CR 57t just set new record 497 PM10

[cmsally]

This is a disgrace. This should be the govts first priority. In a lot of countries the govt would be made to resign if they could not

get on top of this. They should be publically shamed into action.

[Bung]

Most countries this would be declared a natural disaster......

[vivid]

Most countries this would be declared a natural disaster......

Not really that serious, but in Malaysia (SEA) they do close schools when the index hits 200 and thats not based on 24hr moving average from what i remember.

[vivid]

Record smashed by 35t CM at 0900h. 1-hr PM10 of 427 ug/m3. (subsequent 1000h = 381 ug/m3)

1000h 36t PM2.5 = 368. See if it rises past yesterday's record of 374ug/m3.

Chiang Rai 57t hit another high of PM10 506.67 ug/m3. Figures sustained since 0500h.

Edit 1100h hit another high of 515 ug/m3

Edited March 17, 2015 by vivid

[amykat]

Thanks to everyone participating in this thread and providing us with such valuable information! Especially to "Vivid" since he doesn't even live in Thailand!! I have been relying on these posts.

[estsauver]

The smog is getting to much for me. I'm headed south, but I have an air filter I could loan out for a month. I just got the filter a week ago, but this pollution is crazy.

~Earl

[vivid]

Thanks to everyone participating in this thread and providing us with such valuable information! Especially to "Vivid" since he doesn't even live in Thailand!! I have been relying on these posts.

Hope it helps. Just trying to summarise the main points so that people outside can read and understand the main points and get the message fast enough.

Anyway, its past 1300hr and the levels for all stations have gone down from more critical levels.

[cloudhopper]

At least the government is releasing the figures so the public can react. Here in Phuket where I am at the moment the beaches are so fetid the government refuses to release the bacterial count.

[CNXBKKMAN]

Water bomber is back up. Each drop is good for a 1 rai area according to the air force. How many rai in say 6km by 6km box (36 km square area) that covers Chiang Mai city? Air force does between 2-4 drops a day, 4 rai at best. Some days they don't go up at all.

Photos below are taken in colour not black and white!

[vivid]

Stats update. 57t chiang rai 24hr moving average PM10 is 322 and still if current level does not drastically drop.

24hr PM2.5 not expected to be v far away from this. V v high.

Pls take care in CR.

[cloudhopper]

Water bomber is back up. Each drop is good for a 1 rai area according to the air force. How many rai in say 6km by 6km box (36 km square area) that covers Chiang Mai city? Air force does between 2-4 drops a day, 4 rai at best. Some days they don't go up at all.

Photos below are taken in colour not black and white!

Don't bother with the calculation - this is just more boat propellers speeding up the Chao Praya.

[vivid]

Record for 24-hr moving average figures set by Chiang Rai. 1700h PM10 24-hr moving average = 340 ug/m3

Edited March 17, 2015 by vivid

[vivid]

36t 24-hr moving average figures

36t_PM10 (ug/m3)

277 ug/m3

36t_PM2.5 (ug/m3)

265 ug/m3.

265 ug/m3 24hrs figure = AQI 315

This figure is in the Hazardous range.

(in fact, peak 24-hr PM2.5 is from 17th 1100 - 18th 1100h period, 24-hr PM2.5 of 287 ug/m3 or AQI 337)

The stations below are very likely to have 24-hr PM2.5 concentrations in the Hazardous range

35t, 36t (CM)

57t, 58t. (Chiang Rai, Natural Resources and Environment Office and MHS, Natural Resources and Environment Office)

70t and 73t (Knowledge Park, Phayao and Maesai Health Office, Chiangrai)

Edited March 17, 2015 by vivid

[vivid]

Station 57t Chiang Rai, Natural Resources and Environment Office

1800hr

24-hr PM10 = 348 ug/m3

Coming close to your 2007 record (24-hr = 380 ug/m3?)

From the historical 24-hr data and also seeing that 57t figures possibly starting to rise for sure again, this figure probably will increase.

Nightfall, 35t, 36t Chiang Mai PM2.5 and PM10 starting to rise again at 1800h.

70t starting to rise again.

[vivid]

[T_Dog]

Station 57t Chiang Rai, Natural Resources and Environment Office

1800hr

24-hr PM10 = 348 ug/m3

Coming close to your 2007 record (24-hr = 380 ug/m3?)

From the historical 24-hr data and also seeing that 57t figures possibly starting to rise for sure again, this figure probably will increase.

Nightfall, 35t, 36t Chiang Mai PM2.5 and PM10 starting to rise again at 1800h.

70t starting to rise again.

Was just outside before sunset and there was quite a bit of black and grey ash falling from the sky. Some of the chunks were over a centimeter long so there must a large active fire somewhere just north of Chiang Mai at the moment. Those summary numbers you are posting are so unhealthy that it boggles the mind.

[vivid]

Station 57t Chiang Rai, Natural Resources and Environment Office

1900hr

24-hr PM10 = 354 ug/m3

Past 2 hrs 1800 and 1900h, 1hr reading were 321 and 315 ug/m3 PM10

[vivid]

Station 57t Chiang Rai, Natural Resources and Environment Office

2000hr

24-hr PM10 = 361ug/m3

2000h 1hr PM10 = 346 ug/m3

24hr concentration RECORD BREAKING FEAT COMING UP! (target is 380ug/m3)

[vivid]

In another 2hrs time...the past figures about 23 and 24hrs ago (ie yesterday) will suddenly jump 60ug/m3. Plus current trend is increasing.

High chance of breaking previous 380ug/m3 record.

Edited March 17, 2015 by vivid

[Tywais]

Firemap density, March 17, 2015

[vivid]

Station 57t Chiang Rai, Natural Resources and Environment Office

2100hr

24-hr PM10 = 365 ug/m3

2100h 1hr PM10 = 306 ug/m3

24hr concentration RECORD BREAKING FEAT COMING UP! (target is 380ug/m3)

[camsouth]

ok so i just moved here a few months ago so when will the smoke and burning be done ??? and it start to clear up? in Chiang Mai city center area

[camsouth]

you know most real goverments would not allow this burning and would control it . so the air would meet a safe standard . i know in the us that the deq whould be finning and forcing them to stop burning. and regulate it when and how you are to burn whats up with thai gove do they care about the health of the north ? nso when will they stop the burnning

[vivid]

Station 57t Chiang Rai, Natural Resources and Environment Office

2300hr
24-hr PM10 = 371 ug/m3

2300h 1hr PM10 = 337 ug/m3

24hr concentration RECORD BREAKING FEAT COMING UP! (target is 380ug/m3)

Edited March 17, 2015 by vivid

[vivid]

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Haze-worsens-with-highest-ever-reading-at-Doi-Sake-30256230.html

THE HAZE in the North worsened yesterday with Chiang Mai's Doi Saket district reporting the highest amount of particulate matter (PM10) at 369 micrograms per cubic metre of air.

This was close to the highest pollution ever recorded of 382.7 mcg per cu/m on March 14, 2007.

Meanwhile, in downtown Chiang Mai, the PM10 reading stood at |291 mcg yesterday afternoon, the Pollution Control Department |said.

Four nearby provinces also recorded high readings - Chiang Rai at 314 mcg, Lamphun 212 mcg, Nan 205 mcg and Phrae 158 mcg. The safety level is 120 mcg.

Air traffic at Mae Hong Son Airport has come to a halt for five consecutive days because visibility is below 1,000 metres due to the dense smog, Mae Hong Son governor Suraphon Manusampon said yesterday, adding that the airport would reopen once the situation gets better.

The visibility issue at Chiang Mai Airport improved slightly to about 2,000 metres yesterday so air traffic was not affected, airport deputy director Kittiya Kontong said. On Monday, five flights had to be diverted and 175 flights delayed due to poor visibility.

The airport will be monitoring the situation closely so they can facilitate passengers, he said.

"If the visibility on the runway is less than 800 metres, the decision to land is in the hands of the pilot," he said.

Mae Fah Luang Airport in Chiang Rai has already prepared bays to serve any flights diverted from Chiang Mai.

As the haze worsens, many locals have reported they suffer from nose and eye irritation, while the authorities have been trying to ease problems by spraying water in the air and banning all kinds of outdoor fires.

Citing government concern over the haze, PM's Office Minister ML Panadda Diskul yesterday instructed local officials to find solutions to the problem and called on people to not burn anything outdoors.

Up to six people have been arrested for violating the outdoor burning ban in Chiang Mai's Hot, Mae Chaem, Om Koi, Mae On and Chiang Dao districts.

Some 658 wild fires have reportedly damaged 5,694 rai of forestland this month and created 957 hot spots so far.

Edited March 17, 2015 by vivid

[vivid]

Station 57t Chiang Rai, Natural Resources and Environment Office

2300hr
24-hr PM10 = 375 ug/m3

2300h 1hr PM10 = 406 ug/m3

24hr concentration RECORD BREAKING FEAT COMING UP! (target is 382ug/m3)

[vivid]

Station 57t Chiang Rai, Natural Resources and Environment Office

2400hr
24-hr PM10 = 386 ug/m3

0400h 1hr PM10 = 454 ug/m3

BREAKING : Thailand's National 24hr concentration RECORD HAS BEEN BROKEN! (previous record was 382ug/m3 @ 14 March 2007)

Edited March 17, 2015 by vivid

[vivid]

Warning :

The stations below already had and again are likely to have 24-hr PM2.5 concentrations in the Hazardous range (AQI over 300 or 24-hr PM2.5 of over 250 ug/m3) for the coming hours. Based on 36t's PM10 and PM2.5 graphs, in which there was only a 7-10% difference in range (24hr sampling period) for many hour periods for the past 4 days duration. It is not likely for 57t in Chiang Rai to be below 300 ug/m3 for its 24-hr PM2.5 figure (80% of PM10 386 ug/m3 = 309 ug/m3). This is especially so for 57t Natural Resources and Environment Office, Chiang Mai.

You might not feel the symptoms immediately. Its been reported in the papers and health and medical based write-ups here in SG that sometimes it comes 2-4 days later (not the usual headache, blocked nose, eyes....that's the usual immediately stuff)

35t, 36t (CM)

57t, 58t. (Chiang Rai, Natural Resources and Environment Office and MHS, Natural Resources and Environment Office)

70t and 73t (Knowledge Park, Phayao and Maesai Health Office, Chiangrai)

Edited March 17, 2015 by vivid

[TheScribe]

I've seen references to a monitoring station in Doi Saket, Chiangmai. I can't see it on the aqmthai website - is it recording on another website somewhere?

Edited March 18, 2015 by TheScribe