Does air pollution where you live in Thailand concern you?

[chiang mai]

Just to put things into perspective, the burning season in the North is typically only about 6 weeks long and it doesn't happen to the same degree every year, some years it seems as though there was no burning season.

[craigt3365]

A couple of days ago there was a mass of thick smoke/smog in Jomtien all day. Cant say that I remember seeing that before, at least not to that extent. It was so thick I didn't leave my condo at all, or go onto the balcony.

Apart from that there is quite a lot of fine black dust that deposits itself on my condo balcony, in spite of the wind often blowing from the sea which is very close to me. Another reason to keep the aircon on and the doors closed.

If I lived somewhere like Chiang Mai I would probably go elsewhere during the couple of months when they have the annual crop-burning.

A few days ago there were some big fields being burned back behind the floating market and another huge one across Suk from the Ambassador. I could not see the Ambassador hotel from the road when I was some 500M away. Completely hidden by smoke. Depending on the winds, which seemed to be off shore that day, it could have come up to your area.

[Deserted]

No not at all, I like air pollution. It's fresh air I'm worried about.

[louse1953]

Yes, I am concerned about the air pollution. It amazes me that the Thais seem totally unconcerned.

I am 25 Km north of Khon Kaen. Nearly all the villagers here cook on fire. They start the fires by using rubber or plastic and the stink can be terrible at times. If they do any type of weeding, they are seemingly totally unaware of the advantages of composting, they burn it. They don't wait for it to dry, they use rubber or plastic to get it going, but as it is damp it creates a lot of smoke. I am convinced that Thai people are pyromaniacs.

We have people making charcoal and they don't care how close to the houses or the school. Sugar cane fields are burnt before harvesting. Other crops are burnt after harvesting.

Sometimes, I blow my nose and the issue is black.

Thailand needs to wake up and be educated about the dangers of air pollution. But even then, would they do anything about it?

My BIL would do the charcoal thing right next to his humpy,but,of course the smoke blew down my way.I just put 2 fans next to the oven and blew it right back at him.24 hours those fans blew for 3 days.Nothing said,but next time the oven was way out in the forest.Thais don't make fire,they make smoke.I've seen Thais light smoke straight after it has been raining.

[mogandave]

Keeps the bugs down

[NomadStrategy]

only fools would not be bothered by the cancerous air of Chiang Mai during the burning season.

[Roomuck]

A couple of days ago there was a mass of thick smoke/smog in Jomtien all day. Cant say that I remember seeing that before, at least not to that extent. It was so thick I didn't leave my condo at all, or go onto the balcony.

Apart from that there is quite a lot of fine black dust that deposits itself on my condo balcony, in spite of the wind often blowing from the sea which is very close to me. Another reason to keep the aircon on and the doors closed.

If I lived somewhere like Chiang Mai I would probably go elsewhere during the couple of months when they have the annual crop-burning.

It is being caused by burn offs. All the hills along the motorway were burning. They were just the ones you could see from the road. There wasn't much visabiliity but I assume it wasn't just these hills but the hills behind them also.

[mogandave]

only fools would not be bothered by the cancerous air of Chiang Mai during the burning season.

Yes, the smarter you are, the more it bothers you. I'm so smart I wouldn't live in a cancerous sh*t-hole.

How smart are you?

[northernphil]

UK London when I was a kid.....Over half century ago...Coming home on the bus from school.....Ticket collector walked in front of the bus cos the smog was so thick, driver could not see were to go....It's true, BUT, nothing to do with a ciggy....

Yep transam I recall something very similar , 60+ years ago a tram we were waiting for came out of the smog like some monster , the noise and the one headlight and a real peasouper of a night . Every station had steam trains and most homes had coal fires , any wonder I hate the burning up here in the north.

[chiang mai]

UK London when I was a kid.....Over half century ago...Coming home on the bus from school.....Ticket collector walked in front of the bus cos the smog was so thick, driver could not see were to go....It's true, BUT, nothing to do with a ciggy....

Yep transam I recall something very similar , 60+ years ago a tram we were waiting for came out of the smog like some monster , the noise and the one headlight and a real peasouper of a night . Every station had steam trains and most homes had coal fires , any wonder I hate the burning up here in the north.

I also remember those days, eee by gum it were grim up North.

Edited February 14, 2016 by chiang mai

[hanuman2543]

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[Deserted]

A bit of smog's not bad but fog, well that's different as any John Carpenter fan will tell you.

[blueyeshk]

Living in Pai - air pollution is a growing concern besides the month of February to April where the north of Asia is nearly inhabitable due to smoke and burning I am deeply concerned by the many uncontrolled low heat waste/ rubbish burning sites within the valley. All sorts of toxins , dioxins and heavy metals are getting airborne and enriched in water and earth. This considered I feel much saver in the west. And I see huge problems involving for Asia if not existing waste-to-energy and other technologies soon will be in place with force. Every village in Asia has its own rubbish 24/7 burning site a very disgusting thought.

Edited February 14, 2016 by blueyeshk

[blueyeshk]

Just some of the burning sites around me:

[BuriramDevelopers]

Living in Isan and big problem. Dust from the dried up ground and smoke from the burnings are so common that there almost never seems to be clean air.

The reason for my move to the coast soon

[Katipo]

I live in Ayutthaya, so when the burning starts on the central planes, the pollution most certainly does bother me. Fortunately it's not too bad most of the time. Still, I wish they local peasants would wise up. Just because you've been farming the same crop in the same way for years, doesn't mean there isn't something better.

[keeniau96]

Big problem in Phuket when the Indonesians burn their forests as they do every year, last time being about six months ago. Affects everybody from Singapore to the north. Nothing we can do here, as bad as the Chiang Mai rice field burning.

[blueyeshk]

Do all of you know where your household waste ends up? Not that the seasonal burning of forest,fields and such is a lesser problem but the constant 24/7 burning of unsorted household waste on uncontrolled burning sites is as much of a hazardous problem at least if not the bigger one. It just less obvious until you look into it.

[blueyeshk]

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

Sign it - better than to look out of the window

[BangkokKen]

'Pollution''

Yeah right....You guys need to awake

Maybe you should expand on that because your comment is meaningless.

Of course air pollution is a general term and includes many things. My impression is that large particulates are particularly harmful to health.

As shown expanding is not possible

[andApples]

Been here for many years, so yes, it is a concern for me, I am in Bangkok

[mogandave]

I think homes with air-conditioning should pay an additional THB10,000 per month per installed unit for electric.

Also, cars and fuel should be taxed at a much higher rate

[blueyeshk]

Join,share,make it public

[jeab1980]

Not an issue for we except in restaurants when fools start smoking next table then refuse to put out.

[jeab1980]

I think homes with air-conditioning should pay an additional THB10,000 per month per installed unit for electric

Also, cars and fuel should be taxed at a much higher rate

55555555 Thailand got tallent starting soon 5555 comedian 555555

[mogandave]

I think homes with air-conditioning should pay an additional THB10,000 per month per installed unit for electric

Also, cars and fuel should be taxed at a much higher rate

55555555 Thailand got tallent starting soon 5555 comedian 555555

English teacher?

[jeab1980]

I think homes with air-conditioning should pay an additional THB10,000 per month per installed unit for electric

Also, cars and fuel should be taxed at a much higher rate

55555555 Thailand got tallent starting soon 5555 comedian 555555

English teacher?

555555 see you have it by way no not English teacher Thai Teacher.

[chiang mai]

The name was a clue.

[AlexRich]

I'm in Chiang Mai currently and pollution has got noticeably worse following Songkran. I'm not here that long, and in the meantime I am making use of an N95 mask.

Question - where in Thailand is my best chance of all year round decent air?

I'm thinking Pattaya/Jomtien, Hua Hin, Surat Thani and the Islands. Anywhere else?

[blueyeshk]

I'm in Chiang Mai currently and pollution has got noticeably worse following Songkran. I'm not here that long, and in the meantime I am making use of an N95 mask.

Question - where in Thailand is my best chance of all year round decent air?

I'm thinking Pattaya/Jomtien, Hua Hin, Surat Thani and the Islands. Anywhere else?

Guess this place is harder to find if not impossible if it's not the forest and fields they burn than there is still the garbage and every village /town does have its close by burning site this is not limited to Thailand in whole Asia they are due to invest into waste to energy facilities billions of US$ -Asia is drowning in garbage