Chiang Mai hospitals warned of worsening smog

[webfact]

Chiang Mai hospitals warned of worsening smog
The Nation



CHIANG MAI: -- The Chiang Mai Provincial Public Health Office has instructed hospitals to prepare medical supplies for more patients suffering from smog-triggered illnesses, as the air pollution in the North remains severe.

Office executive Dr Surasing Wisaruthrat yesterday said that 70,000 to 80,000 facemasks would also be distributed among at-risk persons, especially those living in outer districts where field burning and wildfire usually occurred.

Tiny particles at downtown Chiang Mai were reported at 134 micrograms per cubic metre at Tambon Chang Pheuk and at 155 mg per cu/m at Tambon Sri Phum, which were beyond the safety level of 120 mg per cu/m.

Also 101 hot spots were reportedly found in Chiang Mia province on Sunday, 26 of which were in Mae Chaem district followed by Omkoi and Samoeng districts with 11 spots each.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Chiang-Mai-hospitals-warned-of-worsening-smog-30255672.html


-- The Nation 2015-03-10

[chooka]

For decades it is the same thing year after year. They get money to hold a meeting and talk about it and then it's beer o'clock and nothing is ever done or will ever be done. All they organise is the food and drinks for next year's meeting.

[Lupatria]

For decades it is the same thing year after year. They get money to hold a meeting and talk about it and then it's beer o'clock and nothing is ever done or will ever be done. All they organise is the food and drinks for next year's meeting.

You mean a combination of hot and dirty air...

[bubba]

For decades it is the same thing year after year. They get money to hold a meeting and talk about it and then it's beer o'clock and nothing is ever done or will ever be done. All they organise is the food and drinks for next year's meeting.

Very true. But the smoke is not just coming from burning in Thailand. It is also coming from Myanmar, as the wind right now in Chiang Mai is coming out of the west. Have a look at this link from NASA of fire hot spots for the last 72 hours:

https://firms.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov/firemap/?x=98.99062499999997&y=19.415625000000006&z=7&g=g&v=2&r=4&i=nw&l=ad,ct

Another interesting observation from that map is that there is really not much difference between the amount of hot spots in Myanmar compared to Thailand, even with all the Thai government talk of mitigation plans.

[alant]

For decades it is the same thing year after year. They get money to hold a meeting and talk about it and then it's beer o'clock and nothing is ever done or will ever be done. All they organise is the food and drinks for next year's meeting.

Very true. But the smoke is not just coming from burning in Thailand. It is also coming from Myanmar, as the wind right now in Chiang Mai is coming out of the west. Have a look at this link from NASA of fire hot spots for the last 72 hours:

https://firms.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov/firemap/?x=98.99062499999997&y=19.415625000000006&z=7&g=g&v=2&r=4&i=nw&l=ad,ct

Another interesting observation from that map is that there is really not much difference between the amount of hot spots in Myanmar compared to Thailand, even with all the Thai government talk of mitigation plans.

Sure you have a point but 2 wrongs don't make a right. Someone has to stop first and saying it isn't just us wont get the desired results.

[wwest5829]

So, I have made the observation on international social media recommending visitors stay away due to the pollution. Does this breach some forbidding of negative but true news reporting?

[KIWIBATCH]

So, I have made the observation on international social media recommending visitors stay away due to the pollution. Does this breach some forbidding of negative but true news reporting?

Yes you will shortly be arrested and taken in for "attitude adjustment".......I am joking....but you made a good point

[CMfoodie]

Meanwhile in Shanghai the Chinese government is arresting anti-smog protesters.

Reports of the detention follow news that Under the Dome, a two-hour documentary that explores China's smog problem, was removed from major online outlets. It had become a sensation in China, being viewed more than 200 million times since its release at the end of February. Reporting on Under the Dome last week, NPR's Anthony Kuhn noted, "Some scenes in the film are shocking, including a visit to a hospital operating room, where viewers see the damage China's polluted air can do to a person's lungs."

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2015/03/09/391821848/anti-smog-film-is-pulled-in-china-protesters-reportedly-detained?utm_source=news.google.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=editorspicks&google_editors_picks=true

[aripengu]

For decades it is the same thing year after year. They get money to hold a meeting and talk about it and then it's beer o'clock and nothing is ever done or will ever be done. All they organise is the food and drinks for next year's meeting.

Very true. But the smoke is not just coming from burning in Thailand. It is also coming from Myanmar, as the wind right now in Chiang Mai is coming out of the west. Have a look at this link from NASA of fire hot spots for the last 72 hours:

https://firms.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov/firemap/?x=98.99062499999997&y=19.415625000000006&z=7&g=g&v=2&r=4&i=nw&l=ad,ct

Another interesting observation from that map is that there is really not much difference between the amount of hot spots in Myanmar compared to Thailand, even with all the Thai government talk of mitigation plans.

I'm sure the quality of the air would be much better in Chiang Mai if there were no hot spots in Thailand

. Here is Chiang Mai Governor's lame excuse:" Governor Suriya opined that the reason Chiang Mai’s air pollution is yet again at dangerous levels is because of neighbouring countries as well as neighbouring provinces’ excessive burning, with winds carrying the pollution to Chiang Mai."

I guess he didn't see the map.

http://www.chiangmaicitylife.com/news/governor-helms-tense-meeting-on-pollution/

[ChiangraiTony]

I'm out of here!

[Tywais]

Firemap on 10 Mar 2015.

[pomchop]

Seems to me the smoke/haze doesn't really appear UNTIL the temps also shoot up and the weather changes from cool to hot as hell. People were already burning a month or so ago and I saw very little haze/smoke in the air.... but the hot weather just seems to trap it all.

If there was zero burning would there be zero haze in the air? I don't think so.

But of course I am not saying that all the burning doesn't greatly contribute to the problem but it just seems to me that the weather patterns also have a great deal to do with it....but to be honest I really do not know....all i know is I don't like it here at this time of year. Nha Trang is a great place to spend the month of March...no smoke/ haze in sight which i suspect has something to do with nice sea breezes blowing it away.

[khaowong1]

I am really curious.. where in the hell do they think they will blow away the smog to with those fans? And you know damn well, one or three fans ain't going to do crap all.

[bubba]

For decades it is the same thing year after year. They get money to hold a meeting and talk about it and then it's beer o'clock and nothing is ever done or will ever be done. All they organise is the food and drinks for next year's meeting.

Very true. But the smoke is not just coming from burning in Thailand. It is also coming from Myanmar, as the wind right now in Chiang Mai is coming out of the west. Have a look at this link from NASA of fire hot spots for the last 72 hours:

https://firms.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov/firemap/?x=98.99062499999997&y=19.415625000000006&z=7&g=g&v=2&r=4&i=nw&l=ad,ct

Another interesting observation from that map is that there is really not much difference between the amount of hot spots in Myanmar compared to Thailand, even with all the Thai government talk of mitigation plans.

Sure you have a point but 2 wrongs don't make a right. Someone has to stop first and saying it isn't just us wont get the desired results.

I did not mean to infer that two wrongs make a right. My point was that although Thailand's government talks about crackdowns on burning each and every year, there is no different between Thailand's effectiveness with actually doing anything about it, and Myanmar's.

[mesquite]

I am really curious.. where in the hell do they think they will blow away the smog to with those fans? And you know damn well, one or three fans ain't going to do crap all.

They're Thai.

[OOLEEBER]

Astronomy is my hobby and my telescope is smoggin' useless right now. I have to look forward to the breaks in the cloud during the rainy season.

[bubba]

I am really curious.. where in the hell do they think they will blow away the smog to with those fans? And you know damn well, one or three fans ain't going to do crap all.

Roughly as effective as when the government used 1000 boats to push water out water out of the Chao Phraya river so as to alleviate the flood of 2011.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/504090-1000-boats-to-push-flood-waters-from-chao-phraya-river/

[dundas]

My memories of living in Chiang Mai, March, 2010 ... each night I would dream of steam locomotives. It didn't take long to work out why.

[wabothai]

And Prajuth?

or are you too busy with your friday evening speech, bringing hapiness to the people?

I get it, building fires is hapiness.

[Thailand]

This morning my eyes were badly irritated, this the first time in the many years I have been here.

And another first, driving along the canal road at 9am this morning many cars had their lights on as the "haze" was so bad!

[attrayant]

And you know damn well, one or three fans ain't going to do crap all.

Not true - the fossil fuels that are being burned to supply electricity to operate the fan will exacerbate the problem.

[lapd]

What are they burning?

Edited March 10, 2015 by lapd

[Tywais]

This morning my eyes were badly irritated, this the first time in the many years I have been here.

And another first, driving along the canal road at 9am this morning many cars had their lights on as the "haze" was so bad!

My eyes also were burning this morning plus getting a head ache. Canal road nearing Suthep around 10:00AM.

[TomYumpoochai]

I am really curious.. where in the hell do they think they will blow away the smog to with those fans? And you know damn well, one or three fans ain't going to do crap all.

Theyre just getting rid of the old smog so they can get some fresh smog in. As long as it clears the fence its not their problem any more... Edited March 10, 2015 by TomYumpoochai

[maidee]

same same old boring news

thailand is stuck in the 1800's

[laislica]

At least it gets talked about in Thailand:

This weekend over 5,000 people gridlocked London in a protest against Climate change.
According to friends living there:
Local traffic report said avoid central London, demonstration in progress. So I did.
There was a message on the bus stop countdown timer said buses werent running into central london due to a protest. Nothing more.
There was nothing in International News either

[Oziex1]

Astronomy is my hobby and my telescope is smoggin' useless right now. I have to look forward to the breaks in the cloud during the rainy season.

Mines photography sometimes the smoke creates interesting images but usually ruins the light.

[tigermonkey]

The Thai provinces/government never bother to say what they are measuring. Internationally, there are two standard sizes of particulate matter which are measured - PM10 and PM2.5. PM10 is all particles which are smaller than 10 micrometers, while PM 2.5 is all particles which are smaller that 2.3 micrometers. PM2.5 is by far the most dangerous to human health, as it penetrates all the way into the air sacs (areoli) of the lungs permanently damaging them. PM2.5 also contains many known carcinogens which can transfer directly into human blood.

So what does Thailand measure when they say "a safe level of 120 mg per cu. meter". I suspect it is only PM 10 which is the more visible pollution -- and mark my words -- it is pollution not haze ! What is a safe level ? Well Australia and Canada which are far more industrialized than Thailand, both have legislated maxima of about 50 mg per cu. meter for PM!0 and about 25 for PM2.5. NO LEVEL IS SAFE !

Time up wake up Thailand,'cause you can't smell the roses any more - only the smoke (pollution)

[ericjt]

I think we can all agree the smog in CM is unpleasant and dangerous.

Does anybody have any *concrete*, *constructive* suggestions about solutions?

If not, let's save everybody's time and do other things till it clears up -- like it does every year.

[Thailand]

I think we can all agree the smog in CM is unpleasant and dangerous.

Does anybody have any *concrete*, *constructive* suggestions about solutions?

If not, let's save everybody's time and do other things till it clears up -- like it does every year.

Said it before but it certainly worked in another country I lived in.

Massive fines on the owners of the land where the fires are burning, irrespective who is doing the burning! But the laws are already here simply never enforced.

Perhaps a specific task force with balls/ real power to implement the search and fines.