Smoke, Smog, Dust 2016-2017 Chiang Mai

[chiang mai]

In post 253, poster Vivid put up three related pictures including a satellite picture for the Myanmar coast and western/northern Thailand, the wind maps for that day along with the fire maps for the same area showing where the fires/burning were heaviest.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/879040-smoke-smog-dust-2016-chiang-mai/page-11#entry10540715

What can be clearly seen from those three things is that, despite there being a high density of fires to the West in Myanmar, the air above them is clear as a result of the winds coming off the ocean, the pollution is blown into Thailand.

And as wind direction changes it is blown into Burma - what is the point?

The point is that wind and its direction and speed is a significant factor in understanding the pollution problem in Thailand.

[blueyeshk]

is the burning going on longer than normal? The air is still at extremely dangerous levels, in mid April. This is disgusting.

It takes as long as it takes - only major downpours of rain and this for weeks not for days. Will make them stop to pull out their matches and lighters. No rain and they will make fires until next year. Edited April 17, 2016 by blueyeshk

[vivid]

Back with a vengeance immediately after Songkhran.

Chiang Rai, Phayao, Nan, Lampang are getting smoked as well.

Edited April 17, 2016 by vivid

[Duvidl]

I was really hoping we'd be finished with the burning season by Songkran. But I saw a layer of ash on my black car this morning which was heavier than any time this year, and the haze was as bad this morning as anytime last year. Usually this problem is over before Songkran.

[blueyeshk]

Meanwhile sign it if u got a sec:

https://www.change.org/p/chiang-mai-governor-improve-haze-pollution-information-for-public-health-in-northern-thailand

[banagan]

Air is <deleted> disgusting today, can barely see the mountain. I thought this 5hite was supposed to be done with after songkran?

[blueyeshk]

What is it with this songkran deadline? Wishful thinking? It's the rain who rules. No rain - enjoy until Santa Claus is coming

[blueyeshk]

http://www.ehabich.info/images/synchro/asia.jpg

[Konini]

I'm out on the balcony at the moment and for the first time this season I can actually smell the smoke. It's not local smoke, I've lived downwind from bushfires.

Definitely time for rain dances people.

[daoyai]

Today is as bad as I have ever seen it. I think the ""govt"" is using a china solution to polution... example, if Bejing has an international event they stop cars and factories for a week or so to clear the air for the internationl media... then after, things return to bad or worse than before. Here it seems there was a burning ban until right after Songkran.. NOW burn everything and pollution is out of control.. gotta keep CP happy. Very Chinese solution, good work ""govt."".

[Tywais]

[Tywais]

Nasty!

[tyznd]

It's pretty obvious they are never going to solve this problem and it only going to get worse. Air purifiers and 3M filters in the air conditioning units don't cut it, not when the problem lasts months and not weeks.

Both in 2014 and last year, after 7 April the air quality greatly improved but this year we are getting some of the worst air pollution of the year far into April.

There really is no answer other than to take off once the burning starts, however, that could be 3 months or so making a more viable solution to just permanently move from the area. If your first priority in life is maintaining your health, then the decision should not be too hard to make. I know this will be my last year of hoping things will get better because we all know they won't. Only question is where to move to but with nearly a year to decide, I'm sure I'll find a suitable alternative. Anyone else on board with this?

[searcher22]

Same here. This is absolutely the last time I'll be staying in Chiang Mai during March , April and May, It's just not livable here during that period with the smog and extreme heat.

[tropico]

To be honest the air quality is never very good in Chiang Mai and that's the reason why it has the highest incidence of lung cancer in the country and apparently among some of the worst in the world.

[mesquite]

Maybe one of these gadgets will help. I like the arm band thing.

http://www.wsj.com/video/new-gadgets-help-chinese-cope-with-pollution/2E3BC5B3-EFBE-4E03-976D-8323AB9C5924.html?mod=wsj_video_email

[vivid]

The conditions right now in CM is somewhat WOW. But check out places like Chiang Rai and Nan etc. Double wow.

If you are not nicely acclimatised, it's just not livable without air-conditioning/evaporative air-cooling/heckloads of HEPA air purifiers esp since it's quite long drawn.

[AlexRich]

To be honest the air quality is never very good in Chiang Mai and that's the reason why it has the highest incidence of lung cancer in the country and apparently among some of the worst in the world.

I have to agree with the last few comments. As much as I like Chiang Mai the level of pollution currently is appalling and bad for a person's health. I'm going to be here until late May so I hope it begins to clear up.

Longer term, I think I will stick to south Thailand - Hua Hin, Pattaya region, Surat Thani and the Islands.

If anyone knows of decent places in Thailand (or region) with good quality air all year round let me know.

[banagan]

The AQI was averaging 80, today, wow, more than double that.

This must be the first time Chinese tourists are actually noticing... Beijing is 55, BEIJING!!!

So, that's a population of 400,000 for CM and 11.5 million for Beijing.

I read an article in the Bangkok post last year that said most of the burning was done by gov interest crops, and the blame is targeted at farmers, but who knows.

Does anyone have any info on what's really going on?

Surely in this day and age they can find some sort of solution? Do locals care? or are they ignorant to just how bad it is for their health?

Thailand is probably the most developed country in SE Asia, why can't they get their act together with this problem?

Edited April 18, 2016 by banagan

[blueyeshk]

This is a typical issue of few coursing harm and suffering to millions I don't understand why nobody is on the streets...but than again how much should I care with my annual routine of leaving the country from Feb-may due to hazardous pollution which makes the whole north inhabitable.

Edited April 18, 2016 by blueyeshk

[vivid]

Latest visible image from satellite.

Looks bad

[vivid]

And the smoke doesn't seem to be coming from Myanmar.

[Konini]

Am I right in thinking that the grey over us is smog and the white is cloud?

[kanook]

The AQI was averaging 80, today, wow, more than double that.

This must be the first time Chinese tourists are actually noticing... Beijing is 55, BEIJING!!!

So, that's a population of 400,000 for CM and 11.5 million for Beijing.

I read an article in the Bangkok post last year that said most of the burning was done by gov interest crops, and the blame is targeted at farmers, but who knows.

Does anyone have any info on what's really going on?

Surely in this day and age they can find some sort of solution? Do locals care? or are they ignorant to just how bad it is for their health?

Thailand is probably the most developed country in SE Asia, why can't they get their act together with this problem?

Check out the level of PM 2.5 at Sri Phum 204.10 (ug/m3) this morning. Before I met my wife she used to work at the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment and her aunt is one of the big shots in the department. I broached the subject last year when she had come to CM with the PM and Ministers for meetings and to my surprise she was willing to talk it about and agreed that it was a serious problem, insisting that they were working on it. Amusing exchange when she mentioned '... The Pollution Control Department ... ', genuinely surprised I interrupted and said something like 'you have a pollution control department!'; red faces all around. Before she left for BK, I was assured that they were were working on a solution for the following year. Cautiously optimistic, I asked my wife if she thought anything would change, No she said and the conversation ended there. Fast forward to earlier this year when her aunt called and informed us that burning bans would be instituted and CP had signed a memorandum that it would not purchase corn derived from agricultural burning. I am positive that that this problem will exist in CM until the day I die and I am not even that old.

Edited April 18, 2016 by kanook

[banagan]

Ha ha, pollution control department!

The AQI was averaging 80, today, wow, more than double that.

This must be the first time Chinese tourists are actually noticing... Beijing is 55, BEIJING!!!

So, that's a population of 400,000 for CM and 11.5 million for Beijing.

I read an article in the Bangkok post last year that said most of the burning was done by gov interest crops, and the blame is targeted at farmers, but who knows.

Does anyone have any info on what's really going on?

Surely in this day and age they can find some sort of solution? Do locals care? or are they ignorant to just how bad it is for their health?

Thailand is probably the most developed country in SE Asia, why can't they get their act together with this problem?

Check out the level of PM 2.5 at Sri Phum 204.10 (ug/m3) this morning. Before I met my wife she used to work at the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment and her aunt is one of the big shots in the department. i broached the subject last year when she had come to CM with the PM and Ministers for meetings and to my surprise she was willing to talk it about and agreed that it was a serious problem insisting that they were working on it. Amusing exchange when she mentioned that the 'Pollution Control Department ... ', genuinely surprised I interrupted and said something like 'you have a pollution control department!'; red faces all around. Before she left for BK, I was assured that they were were working on a solution for the following year. Cautiously optimistic, I asked my wife if she thought anything would change, No she said and the conversation ended there. Fast forward to earlier this year when her aunt called and informed us that burning bans would be instituted and CP had signed a memorandum that it would not purchase corn derived from agricultural burning. I am positive that that this problem will exist in CM until the day I die and I am not even that old.

[blueyeshk]

The AQI was averaging 80, today, wow, more than double that.

This must be the first time Chinese tourists are actually noticing... Beijing is 55, BEIJING!!!

So, that's a population of 400,000 for CM and 11.5 million for Beijing.

I read an article in the Bangkok post last year that said most of the burning was done by gov interest crops, and the blame is targeted at farmers, but who knows.

Does anyone have any info on what's really going on?

Surely in this day and age they can find some sort of solution? Do locals care? or are they ignorant to just how bad it is for their health?

Thailand is probably the most developed country in SE Asia, why can't they get their act together with this problem?

Check out the level of PM 2.5 at Sri Phum 204.10 (ug/m3) this morning. Before I met my wife she used to work at the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment and her aunt is one of the big shots in the department. I broached the subject last year when she had come to CM with the PM and Ministers for meetings and to my surprise she was willing to talk it about and agreed that it was a serious problem, insisting that they were working on it. Amusing exchange when she mentioned '... The Pollution Control Department ... ', genuinely surprised I interrupted and said something like 'you have a pollution control department!'; red faces all around. Before she left for BK, I was assured that they were were working on a solution for the following year. Cautiously optimistic, I asked my wife if she thought anything would change, No she said and the conversation ended there. Fast forward to earlier this year when her aunt called and informed us that burning bans would be instituted and CP had signed a memorandum that it would not purchase corn derived from agricultural burning. I am positive that that this problem will exist in CM until the day I die and I am not even that old.

Nice inside - and don't worry if you stay all year around sure you won't have much time left.

[chiang mai]

We are not alone! Greenpeace protest: Campaigners climb up Nelson's Column in demonstration over London's 'toxic air'

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/greenpeace-protest-campaigners-climb-up-nelsons-column-and-london-statues-in-air-pollution-stunt-a3227341.html

[Lizard2010]

Maybe one of these gadgets will help. I like the arm band thing.

http://www.wsj.com/video/new-gadgets-help-chinese-cope-with-pollution/2E3BC5B3-EFBE-4E03-976D-8323AB9C5924.html?mod=wsj_video_email

That looks promasing

Where are they available in Thailand?

[vivid]

Am I right in thinking that the grey over us is smog and the white is cloud?

That is correct.

Ban is over. Time to light her up!

[chiang mai]

As I suspected the burning ban did have some positive effect, maybe build on that next season. I know that the farmer whose rice fields surround me didn't do any burning this year plus the local land owner was very cautious about it, despite him being a senior police figure. Similarly neighbours rather oddly decided to obey the law this year and despite the end of the ban, still haven't started to burn again, yet.