Fires in Myanmar blanket the far North in smog

[rooster59]

Fires in Myanmar blanket the far North in smog

By THE SUNDAY NATION

 

 

THE UPPER North continues to suffer from haze, although it stemmed mainly from many fires in neighbouring Myanmar, a senior official said yesterday.

 

Raphisak Malairungsakul, director of Regional Environment Office 1, which covers Chiang Rai, Mae Hong Son, Chiang Mai and Lamphun provinces, said many northern provinces had small particulate matter up to 10 microns in diameter (PM10) over safe levels due to many factors. 

 

They included unauthorised outdoor burning in the region, wind direction, and the pan-shaped geological characteristics. The key factor during this period, he said, was smoke from Myanmar, which had many more hotspots than Thailand. 

 

Pollution Control Department chief Jatuporn Burutpat said he had already sent a letter to authorities in Myanmar asking them to help control and reduce their hotspots in accordance with the Mekong sub-region environment ministers’ |agreement signed on February 24 in |Chiang Rai. 

 

He expected the haze would linger for two to three days and, if there was rain, the situation would improve.

 

A Pollution Control Department report issued at 9am on Saturday said Mae Sai district in Chiang Rai had the highest PM10 level at 168 micrograms per cubic metre. It was followed by Mae Hong Son at 143 micrograms, while Lampang also reported high PM10 levels at 141 micrograms in Mae Mo district and 128 micrograms in Muang district.

 

The safe level for PM10 particles is under 120 micrograms. If a reading exceeds this, the smog can pose health risks.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/news/national/30310291

 

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-03-26

[ukrules]

Are there any fires inside Thailand ?

 

[dcnx]

Do any of these imbiciles know there is an online fire map that shows there are fires in Thailand too?

 

Every year it's the same nonsense. On liar after the other. 

[RotMahKid]

Just zoom out on this map, then you can see that the pollution is NOT coming from Myanmar.

http://aqicn.org/city/thailand/lampang-meteorological-station/

 

[worgeordie]

Typical, Its always someone or something elses fault,and this

occurs every year,although ,every year we have promises from

the Government,that burning will be curtailed,and it never is.

regards worgeordie

[Oziex1]

Myanmar the scapegoat, Again! 

[tukkytuktuk]

Found some photographs on the net.

The woman on the motorbike is Chiang Rai.

The next one with smoke over a city is Chiang Mai.

The last one is in Chiang Mai, first photo is in February and the one next to it is in March.

Edited March 26, 2017 by tukkytuktuk

[fruitman]

3 hours ago, worgeordie said:

Typical, Its always someone or something elses fault,and this

occurs every year,although ,every year we have promises from

the Government,that burning will be curtailed,and it never is.

regards worgeordie

A Thai person would never do such thing, and if they did the army would go get them fast.

 

Now the tourists for songkran are coming, they sure don't want to see people wearing dustmasks all day long, it will ruin the good image of Thailand.

 

Or maybe those farmers burn now because the storms will blow all smoke away?

[12DrinkMore]

What happened to the plan of using aeroplanes as fans to reverse the prevailing winds?

[tukkytuktuk]

Doesn't look that bad on the tele.

[Mitker]

Driving in front of a hill where a continuous line of forest fire was illuminating the evening, we stopped our car right in front of a banner inviting people to report any fire during this "don't burn period"

 

we called

answer :

"oh... it's not our district, we can't help, sorry, bye"

 

(2 weeks ago)

[davehowden]

Maybe a silly question, but if the farmers don't burn whatever it is they are burning what will happen to the un-burnt whatever it is? Presumably they have a good reason for burning it or do they just enjoy getting hot, dirty and sweaty?

[canopy]

The answer to this question is surprisingly simple. Think first: why do people smoke cigarettes? After all isn't it a filthy, unhealthy, wasteful, expensive habit? Answer is because they enjoy it. I've asked farmers in my area why they burn their land. The answer is the same; they enjoy it. Nothing at all to do with their crops and if you tell them it degrades their soil they don't care. They enjoy it and that's it. Compare this to modern countries farmers do not burn their crops even if it is rice, corn, or whatever. And farmers in modern countries are better off than Thai farmers. Also worth noting Thai's burn not only their fields, but everything they can including unused pastures and forests. Add in the daily ritual of each household burning a pile of trash including the day's plastic. In my village there is no garbage pickup. The villagers have successfully fought against the government who wish them to have it. Why? The villagers enjoy burning their garbage, every single one of them except yours truly who doesn't count. So it's a very simple answer across the board: they enjoy it.

 

[jaltsc]

"THE UPPER North continues to suffer from haze, although it stemmed mainly from many fires in neighbouring Myanmar, a senior official said yesterday."

 

I didn't realize that I was living on the Myanmar border, since every night I see the mountainsides surrounding me glowing with fire.

 

Once again Thailand plays the innocent victim and refuses to admit its part in this yearly assault on the health of its northern citizens. As though its "urging" to stop the burning has been a roaring success.

 

[nztrev]

The bottom pic in post 7 is Mae Sai the border post is just visible. The map in post 4 seems to show the wind blowing south to North. They are also doing roadworks in our village and apparently the lack of water is because the bore is dry, but the guy on the loudspeaker has yet to mention it. Dry dusty and soggy.