Urban incinerators and smog

[daoyai]

I live in the city near an old building that twice a day burns trash in an incinerator with an approximatly 30m tall smoke stack, just about the same elevation as my condo. The thick black smoke sometimes blows right into my window, during most of the year I deal with it, but now with other pollution I object to this especially as trash is picked up everyday in this neighborhood. Is there an agency that might care about this practice? Obviously this is "traditional" practice and possibly 100% legal and approved.... your thoughts?

[Rancid]

Presumably it was there prior to your occupancy?

[daoyai]

Presumably it was there prior to your occupancy?

As was the practice of burning the forests and fields, ....your point being?

[Dante99]

Nothing you can do about it.

[cardinalblue]

Don't expect due diligence with regard to pollution prevention, air monitoring and regulatory control...

Best bet is to investigate yourself what's being burn, at what temperature what equipment and technology installed....

Via the net at least one can find out what air contaminants you are being exposured to...

If you want to go one step further an industrial hygenist is the proper profession to conduct air readings and evaluation but don't even know if this country has properly credentialled CIHs...

Proper air monitoring results give you something to make decision....

[Chicog]

Does Thailand have the equivalent of an EPA?

[Mapguy]

There are indeed urban incinerators. Some are rather sneaky, operating in the very early hours before dawn when the world is asleep and smoke not very visible.

The Pollution Control Department (PCD) of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has EPA type responsibilities but they are limited. It has responsibility for education about, measuring and reporting pollution. The local office (provincial office) has at least one officer as well as staff. The city might have one staff person.

PCD can investigate and evaluate point source pollution that is reported to them. However, it can only recommend action, such as closing a facility. Effective action, or enforcement, would come at permit level in another ministry, for example the Ministry of Industry.

The Ministry of Public Health doesn't appear to have any enforcement powers, it seems, except to recommend and take action to ameliorate the effects of pollution, such as distributing face masks and asking hospitals to ramp up services.

The Ministry of Education might, perhaps, be able to order government schools shut or student activities limited, but I have never heard of this happening.

All that is not to say that If there is a political will and action, as in the recent case involving the removal of tons of salt in from of the Eastin Hotel as a "Christmas snow" promotion, the powers that be do seem to be able to get on top of a local problem and obtain the cooperation of the polluter.

Otherwise, OP, I would imagine you don't want to make an issue of cremation! And, fortunately, there are no papal elections although some oily offerings, joss and candles cause some irritation within wat precincts.

Meanwhile, rumor has it the provincial governor is off smelling the flowers in Canada.

Edited March 19, 2015 by Mapguy

[CNXBKKMAN]

There was a thread the other day listing all the local government departments to contact if you have a problem. If you complain to right dept things may improve. they may have to stop using the incinerator or get a bigger chimney? That's being optimistic but it wouldn't surprise me if the only way forward is to move house(condo). My guess is the incinerator has nothing in the chimney to remove the poisons and toxins it's spewing out.