Heading for Northern Thailand ? Beware the Haze.

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Heading for Northern Thailand ? Beware the Haze.

Post by CEOCambodiaNews »

Haze Problem in Northern Thailand to Increase from March-April
By Editor on February 26, 2019
CHIANG RAI – The Department of Pollution Control has reported that the haze problem in nine of Thailand’s Northern provinces is likely to get worse during March and April due to forest fires, despite a complete ban on the open burning of vegetation or trash.

Mr. Chongklai Worapongsathorn, deputy director-general of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plants Conservation, today presided over a gathering of support fire fighters before they are sent to the northern provinces to fight forest fires which have been raging for weeks, belching PM2.5 dust particles and smoke into the atmosphere and threatening the health of the residents.

Helicopters have been placed on standby to provide support and a complete ban on open burning has been imposed from February 10th to April 30th in Chiang Rai, Nan, Phrae, Phayao, Mae Hong Son, Chiang Mai, Lampang, Lamphun and Tak.

The level of PM2.5 particulate matter in Lampang ranges from 67-73 microns while 68 microns were reported in Tambon Jongkham, Muang district of Mae Hong Son.

Today, the Department of Pollution Control reported that the air quality in the seven northern and two northeastern provinces was below standard and labeled condition orange, meaning it now poses health hazards.
https://www.chiangraitimes.com/haze-pro ... april.html
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Re: Heading for Northern Thailand ? Beware the Haze.

Post by TOG »

Looking at the real time air pollution map, never mind Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai is almost toxic.
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Re: Heading for Northern Thailand ? Beware the Haze.

Post by pczz »

thats normal up there this time of theyear. All the farmers burning stubble and any plastic bottles they have left before the rainty season arrives. Annual event, regular as the rain. Just take gas mask
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Re: Heading for Northern Thailand ? Beware the Haze.

Post by andy_morris »

pczz wrote:thats normal up there this time of theyear. All the farmers burning stubble and any plastic bottles they have left before the rainty season arrives. Annual event, regular as the rain. Just take gas mask
How is it over the songkran holiday? The haze I mean?
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Re: Heading for Northern Thailand ? Beware the Haze.

Post by pczz »

andy_morris wrote: Wed Feb 27, 2019 4:51 pm
pczz wrote:thats normal up there this time of theyear. All the farmers burning stubble and any plastic bottles they have left before the rainty season arrives. Annual event, regular as the rain. Just take gas mask
How is it over the songkran holiday? The haze I mean?
It varies from year to year depending on weather and how much the authorities crack down on illegal bonfires. chiang mai forms a bowl so th smoke settles in it. lasts from now until it rains cos u can't burn after they start. some years can be very bad, others not so. check a week bfore u go. its usually in the nation paper. songkran can bedifficult for travel. buses full, hotels full so dont leave it to last minute
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Re: Heading for Northern Thailand ? Beware the Haze.

Post by andy_morris »

I will be cycling chiang mai to pai then more cycling around that area. I didn't consider the haze as I usually go in December.

Thanks
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Re: Heading for Northern Thailand ? Beware the Haze.

Post by simon43 »

I was recently offered a job in Chiang Rai which sounded interesting and I was up to accept it until I monitored the air quality level in that region over a week. I decided that my health was more important and declined the job offer citing the poor air quality. Pity that this beautiful region of Thailand is marred by the burning season problems.
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Re: Heading for Northern Thailand ? Beware the Haze.

Post by CEOCambodiaNews »

UPDATE: Thai Citizens Protest! Enough is Enough !

Citizens demand sustainable solution to haze crisis in northern Thailand
by Carolyn Cowan on 6 June 2023

- Citizens in northern Thailand have mounted a legal challenge against the prime minister and several government departments for inaction to tackle air pollution that experts say reduces people’s life expectancy and violates basic human rights.
- Air pollution levels in the northern city of Chiang Mai exceeded WHO guideline standards more than twentyfold earlier this year, ranking it among the most polluted places in the world.
-The sources of pollution are mainly from agricultural burning, both locally and in neighboring countries, a practice that coincides each year with the dry season. Air quality is also affected by forest fires that have taken a toll on the region’s landscapes and wildlife in recent years.
-Observers say the legal challenge is an example of civil society’s growing awareness of the right to use litigation avenues to hold companies and government departments accountable to their environmental commitments.


A court in northern Thailand has agreed to hear a citizen-led lawsuit filed against the government for inaction to address air pollution that experts say reduces people’s life expectancy and constitutes a violation of basic human rights.

More than 1,700 plaintiffs, including activists, academics, residents and medical professionals submitted the grievance against Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, the National Environmental Board (NEB) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) at the Chiang Mai Administrative Court on April 10, 2023.

The lawsuit alleges that authorities have failed to adequately address recurring seasonal haze that plagues northern provinces between February and April every year. Air pollution levels typically far exceed guideline levels set by the World Health Organization (WHO) during these months at the height of the dry season, only abating once monsoon rains arrive in April-May and flush the pollutants from the air.

“We have more risk of breathing-related health problems compared to people who don’t live with the [air pollution] problems for two to three months per year,” Kornkanok Wathanabhoom, an independent legal researcher and a member of the legal team representing the citizen plaintiffs, told Mongabay. “Children are also affected as during those months they cannot do any outdoor activities, so it violates their rights to life.”
https://news.mongabay.com/2023/06/citiz ... -thailand/
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Re: Heading for Northern Thailand ? Beware the Haze.

Post by phuketrichard »

As the wet season gets underway, washing out the sooty, humid air, it is easy to forget that just a few weeks ago northern Thailand had on some days the dubious distinction - yet again - of the most polluted air on planet Earth.

On the 14th of each month, NASA’s Fire Information for Resource Management System generates a map of active fires and thermal anomalies in Southeast Asia. In April, it showed nearly 30,000 hot spots in Laos, Myanmar and Thailand. More than a third were in sparsely populated Laos, and the Shan states of Myanmar were also red hot.

This staggering pollution is not just the product of coal-fired power stations, belching factories and antiquated transport systems; it is directly linked to agriculture and the burning of byproducts – rice straw, maize stems and kernels, sugar cane leaves -- and the burning of forest floors for mushroom collecting and to create grassy areas for free-roaming cattle.

Our panel of experts will look at why this year’s haze has been even worse than previously, the insatiable demand for meat that is driving forest encroachment and maize production, the spread into neighbouring countries of outdated Thai agricultural practices, and the poverty trap most agricultural families and migrant labourers exist in.

full story: https://www.fccthai.com/events/209
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Re: Heading for Northern Thailand ? Beware the Haze.

Post by Alex »

It's the same bollocks every year, soon forgotten, but then it comes back and somewhat worse year after year. I've considered moving to Da Nang for the great air.
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