Haze worsens with highest ever reading at Doi Saket district

[webfact]

Haze worsens with highest ever reading at Doi Saket district
The Nation



CHIANG MAI: -- 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.

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

-- The Nation 2015-03-18

[cloudhopper]

Time for another committee meeting.

[khwaibah]

Front page Bangkok Post.

Prayut calls for neighbouring countries' help in haze crisis

[chainarong]

This has been going on for eons and each year the media run a rehash of last years news with the same old rhetoric very similar to flooding, drought, Dengue fever, education standards , Ivory trade , people trafficking and so forth , the question asked after 35 years of my Thai experience is why, are the lights on is anyone home, how many times do we see the P.M. or a Minister or the local office saying the same thing they need to find solutions or they have found a solution and for me 35 years on and still no solutions , makes you wonder at some peoples ability.

[vivid]

Indonesia is busy with its own cloud seeding and water bombing/fire fighting activities. Singapore is monitoring that.

I wonder if Singapore's SCDF would like to assist since Indonesia always does not wanna receive external help from SG and Malaysia.

[chainarong]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

Front page Bangkok Post.

Prayut calls for neighbouring countries' help in haze crisis

They have done this each year for Decades, from Indo through to Burma they all burn off , sometimes they have had to shut Changi down, Singapore just loves this time of the year.

[vivid]

Station 57t Chiang Rai, Natural Resources and Environment Office

0400hr
24-hr PM10 = 386 ug/m3

0400h 1hr PM10 = 454 ug/m3

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

Edited March 18, 2015 by vivid

[vivid]

This has been going on for eons and each year the media run a rehash of last years news with the same old rhetoric very similar to flooding, drought, Dengue fever, education standards , Ivory trade , people trafficking and so forth , the question asked after 35 years of my Thai experience is why, are the lights on is anyone home, how many times do we see the P.M. or a Minister or the local office saying the same thing they need to find solutions or they have found a solution and for me 35 years on and still no solutions , makes you wonder at some peoples ability.

Don't worry too much about it man. My wife's from Indonesia and I'm from SG, it's the same situation since 1994 when the first bout of haze hits.

[manzan]

it would be interesting to see exactly what particulates there are and in what concentrations

[DGS1244]

The head line says Doi Saket yet the photo is nothing to do with that area.

[maderaroja]

Doi Saket is worst because every other household has got a bonfire in their yard, but no one does anything about it. There are household trash fires every day. Where is the enforcement?

[WarProfiteer]

Well, I feel much safer knowing that 6 people have been charged. Yep, that'll stop this problem in it's tracks. Everyone, you can relax... the six people responsible for this have been aprehended.

[amykat]

I have dust in my room that contains grit. I cleaned it up on Monday, but it was back on Tuesday morning.

Me too! I have been finding stuff like large sand particles, all over my house, on tables, and the top of a toilet tank looked like someone dumped a sandy shoe over it yesterday ...and there is just a tiny window in there, with a screen, in a covered little cove, that has 3 sides and a roof, and some palm trees in front, it barely even lets any light in !! I couldn't imagine what caused that.

I just looked at fire map in a major newspaper and according to the other fire maps (or hot spot maps?) I have seen, it looks like that one is FAKE! Has had 90% of the red spots removed??? In one of those "blame it on the nearby countries" articles.

[Chicken George]

Nothing ever done nothing will be done.. Look at the pollution maps on the net. Thailand most pollution in Asia. From fires in Thailand! No good blaming other bordering countrys as usual. Thais it seems like to kill their children! Well thats the bones of it! Next we have the festival of death a so called tourist attraction they call Song Cran.. Hodpitals full of choking people. Long term cancer risks. But still they burn!!

[marko kok prong]

So the fire engines sprinkling water into the air did not work,damn,back to the drawing board.

[JoePai]

No good moaning about it, happens every year so simple solution to move out of the area during burning season and save your lungs.

[User3]

I have dust in my room that contains grit. I cleaned it up on Monday, but it was back on Tuesday morning.

Me too! I have been finding stuff like large sand particles, all over my house, on tables, and the top of a toilet tank looked like someone dumped a sandy shoe over it yesterday ...and there is just a tiny window in there, with a screen, in a covered little cove, that has 3 sides and a roof, and some palm trees in front, it barely even lets any light in !! I couldn't imagine what caused that.

I just looked at fire map in a major newspaper and according to the other fire maps (or hot spot maps?) I have seen, it looks like that one is FAKE! Has had 90% of the red spots removed??? In one of those "blame it on the nearby countries" articles.

For what it's worth check out http://lance-modis.eosdis.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/imagery/firemaps.cgi for more-or-less up to date satellite images of fire/hot spots globally. If you look at SE Asia you can clearly see that the Newspaper-who-shall-not-be-named has posted a totally bogus map bearing little relationship to reality.

On the other hand, blaming everyone else has been going on for so long it's hard to expect them to change.

[Oziex1]

This has been going on for eons and each year the media run a rehash of last years news with the same old rhetoric very similar to flooding, drought, Dengue fever, education standards , Ivory trade , people trafficking and so forth , the question asked after 35 years of my Thai experience is why, are the lights on is anyone home, how many times do we see the P.M. or a Minister or the local office saying the same thing they need to find solutions or they have found a solution and for me 35 years on and still no solutions , makes you wonder at some peoples ability.

They talk have commitee have budget to deal with problem, we all know where public money goes here.

[amykat]

I have dust in my room that contains grit. I cleaned it up on Monday, but it was back on Tuesday morning.

Me too! I have been finding stuff like large sand particles, all over my house, on tables, and the top of a toilet tank looked like someone dumped a sandy shoe over it yesterday ...and there is just a tiny window in there, with a screen, in a covered little cove, that has 3 sides and a roof, and some palm trees in front, it barely even lets any light in !! I couldn't imagine what caused that.

I just looked at fire map in a major newspaper and according to the other fire maps (or hot spot maps?) I have seen, it looks like that one is FAKE! Has had 90% of the red spots removed??? In one of those "blame it on the nearby countries" articles.

For what it's worth check out http://lance-modis.eosdis.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/imagery/firemaps.cgi for more-or-less up to date satellite images of fire/hot spots globally. If you look at SE Asia you can clearly see that the Newspaper-who-shall-not-be-named has posted a totally bogus map bearing little relationship to reality.

On the other hand, blaming everyone else has been going on for so long it's hard to expect them to change.

Thanks for this post! I did look and have been looking this morning. I already believe almost nothing here, but this has really shocked me! Tomorrow, the headline will be about a certain leader who enjoyed a golf game in CM, photo with some clear blue skies, and how he shot 9 holes-in-one.

[angiolo]

Oh well ,if only they stopped burning stuff

[Sparkles]

No good moaning about it, happens every year so simple solution to move out of the area during burning season and save your lungs.

Very easy to say that JoePai but what about people that have to work for a living in CM and kids that go to school.

You expect people/kids to move out for 2 months plus rent....yeah right.

[beautifulthailand99]

The sole reason why I don't want to live in CM - else it ticks all my boxes (bar no sea views) - a great shame as it is a lovely city with the best quality farangs in LOS.

[vivid]

http://www.straitstimes.com/news/asia/south-east-asia/story/singapore-lending-two-helicopters-thailand-help-deal-haze-the-north-

SINGAPORE is lending two helicopters to Thailand to help combat the haze blanketing the north of the country. The two Chinook helicopters, which are currently in Thailand for the multilateral Cope Tiger exercise, will be deployed to douse the forest fires from Wednesday afternoon, said Thai junta spokesman Winthai Suvaree.

Singapore Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen, in a post on his Facebook account on Wednesday, said the helicopters will be equipped with a 5,000-litre water bucket from the Singapore Civil Defence Force.

"Let's support our SAF men and women who are tasked for this mission - that they will do their job well and keep safe," he wrote, referring to the Singapore Armed Forces.

The choking smog is an annual problem in this region from January to April as farmers burn the land to clear scrub or agricultural waste.

Apart from creating health problems, it also turns away tourists. Some flights have been cancelled because planes have been unable to land in selected airports.

Air pollution was still acute as at 11am on Wednesday. The 24-hour moving average reading of small particulate matter in the air, or PM10, was up to 226mg per cu m in Chiang Mai province.

The acceptable standard in Thailand is 120mg per cu m.

[NickJ]

So the the TAT Marathon has been cancelled?

[vivid]

Front page Bangkok Post.

Prayut calls for neighbouring countries' help in haze crisis

Singapore responded with 2 X CH-47 Chinooks for water bombing ops this afternoon. They are based in Thailand....shd be helping out right now already.

[Loaded]

Make people accountable for the burning. Fine heavily private land owners if fires originate on their land. Hold local government officials accountable if fires start on government land. Then watch as the fires are put out as soon as they start. Currently, nobody is held responsible including the governor.

[Chicog]

Meanwhile in Paris where it crept over the safe limit of 80.....

The Eiffel Tower disappeared behind a brown smog on Wednesday as Paris and much of northern France suffered a spike in pollution.

"The pollution levels are consistent. If we don't go over the alert level, we won't be far away," said Airparif, the body responsible for monitoring air quality in the greater Paris region.

In Paris, authorities measure the concentration of particulates with a diameter of less than 10 microns -- so-called PM10 -- in the air to determine pollution levels.

These particulates are created by vehicles, heating and heavy industry, and include the most dangerous particles that measure less than 2.5 microns in diameter, which can penetrate deep into the lungs and the blood system and can cause cancer.

The safe limit for PM10 is set at 80 microgrammes per cubic metre (mcg/m3).

Since Wednesday morning, authorities have put in place certain emergency measures, such as limiting cars to 20 kilometres per hour (14 miles per hours) on motorways in the Paris area.

Authorities have the power to put into place emergency measures such as allowing only one in two cars to enter the French capital and making public transport free.

This was last implemented on March 17 last year during a particularly bad spike in the pollution levels.

According to a 2011 World Health Organisation report, the planet's most polluted city was Ahvaz in Iran with an average of 372 mcg/m3.

Beijing had an average of 121 mcg/m3, while Paris was measured at 38 mcg/m3.

[vivid]

Paris....motorcars.

Check the pm2.5 levels and not pm10. Can assure you that its significantly higher concentrations.

1 pm10 particle is much heavier than 1 pm2.5 particle (understand the meaning of micrograms per cubic metre). Statistically, they make a day and night difference, even though pm2.5 is a subset of pm10.

Edited March 20, 2015 by vivid

[cloudhopper]

even though pm2.5 is a subset of pm10.

That's interesting. Do you know if super small diameter (and therefore deadlier) diesel soot is a measured (or at least detected and reflected) subset? If I understand these numbers right a PM 2.5 particlw would be 1/16th the surface area and 1/64 the weight of the former, so it would take 64 times as many smaller particles in the same volume of air to have an equal score? (I realize it's a continuous spectrum of diameters).

[vivid]

even though pm2.5 is a subset of pm10.

That's interesting. Do you know if super small diameter (and therefore deadlier) diesel soot is a measured (or at least detected and reflected) subset? If I understand these numbers right a PM 2.5 particlw would be 1/16th the surface area and 1/64 the weight of the former, so it would take 64 times as many smaller particles in the same volume of air to have an equal score? (I realize it's a continuous spectrum of diameters).

Yes, that is correct. Diesel PM from unfiltered/not Euro compliant vehicles are extremely small, they call these Ultra Fine Particles, or below 0.1 microns. PM0.1

I mentioned this before in the Smog thread, China cities are aware of it as well because they have unfiltered diesel vehicles hauling goods between the big cities etc. The chinese air pollution video "Under the Dome" touched on this issue, and the authorities cannot touch them simply because they are hauling essentials like milk, eggs, vegetables, livestock etc. 1 x unfiltered diesel truck = 500,000 certified vehicles worth of PM emission, figure taken from Under the Dome. I assume that'd be perhaps Euro IV equivalent or above.

It'd take heckloads of pure diesel PM to equal say the haze particles. So when you are saying PM2.5, you are saying haze particles + these diesel particles and also perhaps photochemical smog. It'd take a whole lot more of these UFPs to equal the bigger 1-2 micron PM, so they are not represented correctly in a statistical sense.

However, when you have a special air sampler that does PM0.3 or PM0.1 even, it makes a whole lot more sense because that 1-2 micron PM stuff in PM2.5 is out of the equation.

This is why PM10 may not represent correct the hazards of haze. However, it seems that there is quite a fair bit of soot and ash in the past few days, hence it might still be relevant to a certain degree.

However, from PCD station 36t which is that school in Chiang Mai, both PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations are pretty close (you have a graph function on aqmthai, you can select both PM10 and PM2.5 graphs). Convert them to the Air Quality Index (PCD only converts using PM10, so the AQI is kept pretty low), you'd see.

PM2.5 was at hazardous levels in many areas like CR, MHS. AQI peaking 500. The 24-hr figures (in which the health advisories are based on) were not pretty either.

http://airnow.gov/index.cfm?action=resources.conc_aqi_calc