State of emergency urged as air pollution hits 'disastrous' levels in North

[Pravda]

1 minute ago, emptypockets said:

So in answer to my question only 2 people intend to leave.

CM can't be that bad then can it?

 

More likely nobody cares about your question.

[Redline]

Sorry, you can count on it getting worse year after year ????

[emptypockets]

12 minutes ago, Pravda said:

 

More likely nobody cares about your question.

Probably you are right. So why all the whining?

im from a culture that if you can do something about a problem then do it.

or if not or unwilling to take action... Shut up but please stop complaining incessantly on a forum with no way to resolve the issue.

[Pravda]

4 minutes ago, emptypockets said:

Probably you are right. So why all the whining?

 

Most expats probably have no choice and may finally understand how it feels to be Thai.

 

Chiang Mai has been a pulluted, trash infested craphole for over a decade, but most people who moved there were just plain ignorant. 

 

Wonder where digital nomads will go.

 

 

[White Christmas13]

2 hours ago, wazzupnow said:

do U want to live forever?

No not forever if I want to die I can move to Chiang Mai and by the way it was a stupid remark

[aBigSmile]

52 minutes ago, emptypockets said:

So in answer to my question only 2 people intend to leave.

CM can't be that bad then can it?

 

Here are your typical 3 scenarios:

 

(1) Anyone would could've left, is breathing fresh air now;

(2) Anyone lacking the means stays put and bears the brunt. Aye, such is the lot of the poor;

(3) People with children stay put too, due to the school year, despite the incalculable damage the noxious air inflicts on their offspring.

 

Anecdote: this year is brutal, some frugal people I know, who usually brave the smoke, dug into their life savings to took off. 

[holy cow cm]

As you see the burning is in the forest areas, so this tells you it is predominately about mushrooms. 

 

Go after the so called mushroom farmers or procurers, the middle agents, the wholsaers, the buyers. Then this would send a message of fines - jail - imprisonments to all of them. Such a selfish attitude by a few thousand of them to creates such hazards to millions. I would almost even go as far to beat them up, hurt them and make it really scarey like Thaksin did with the drug dealers and addicts. This is the worst air in my 20 years in Chiang Mai and it is not fine.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

6 hours ago, Chicken George said:

Where were the army to enforce a ban? Why were they not around?

 

Maybe they'll have more time now...that the election campaign is over! 

[mikosan]

9 hours ago, connda said:

Eating Joke in a air-conditioned, air-purified establishment.

 

Hope it was nice, I like it too, but where I live, in Thailand, I can eat it on my balcony, whilst clearly surveying the area around me.  Hope you too can do so soon.

[DJ54]

Do they burn a lot of the sugar cane fileds there? 

1 - Burnig is probably faster and less labor but brings a slightly lower return when they sell. 

2 - Cut by hand labor intensive costs more and longer process.

 

The government needs to enforce no burning is its more costs 

And more time for the farmer tough shit. I’ve not been there in

awhile it was beautiful at the time. But this will harm people as wellas drive them out...

 

 

 

[JimmyJ]

10 hours ago, Medicine Man said:

 

As responsible falangs we should warn other potential visitors via the web review sites (Trip advisor etc) to avoid the north of Thailand from February to April due to this dangerous situation...

That is one action that could affect some change for the better.

 

Yesterday I was speaking with the new manager of my local US bank - a Philippine woman - who had visited Thailand recently and loved it.

 

She was totally unaware of the annual smog crisis.

 

If all the review sites and travel sites were aware of this and business falls far from December to April/May, it will (hopefully?) force the government to take some action.

[harada]

They will want to hope that the wind picks up in the next couple of weeks or Songkran will be looking a bit sad in CM, perhaps when pockets at the top end of town start hurting something might be done.

[Prairieboy]

Perhaps all those soldiers and generals who have nothing else to do could be put to good use dousing fires and rounding up the farmers who are burning the crop residue.  The election is over so they don't need to worry about losing votes! More than 20 times the WHO safe level.

[Prairieboy]

14 hours ago, Xonax said:

The police are to busy to catch foreigners vaping or possessing vaping equipment.

Or patrolling the beaches to nab errant smokers.

 

[Fex Bluse]

Typical Thai problem with no Thai solution. It's one of the reasons I can't tolerate the people. 

 

They cannot handle complex problems. The Thai way is to just wait for the problem to go away. 

 

In the interim, everyone suffers. 

[JungleBiker]

15 hours ago, Classic Ray said:

This adds to the field burning carried out by some farmers and corporations to clear stubble and prepare sugarcane for harvesting, and the slash and burning of the jungle to clear it for agriculture.

 

i still wonder why the government do not encourage alternatives to burning such as large scale mulching and composting which retains the nutrients of the vegetation and prevents atmospheric pollution. Providing the necessary processing plant would be the greatest service the government could do and may even pay for itself.

 

Mulching rather than burning is a great idea and there are mulching machines made by companies such as Bron that are used for this purpose: 

 but they aren't cheap! 

[mikebell]

15 hours ago, Classic Ray said:

why the government do not encourage alternatives to burning such as large scale mulching and composting

The cheapest shredding machine I have seen on Lazada is prohibitively priced.

[hotchilli]

19 hours ago, rooster59 said:

An academic has called on the government to declare a state of emergency as Chiang Mai and most Northern Provinces face 'disastrous' levels of PM2.5 smog.

And admit they're not in control of the pollution... not in this lifetime !

Poison the people before they admit it's beyond their control !

[Liverpudlian]

A certain geezer recently inherited 30+ billion baht from his fathers massive estate, this on top of his own mega billion fortune. NUFF SAID.

[Captain 776]

The worst in my 14 yrs and no end in sight

[Dinobot]

So in answer to my question only 2 people intend to leave.
CM can't be that bad then can it?

I moved away, this year, due to the smoke.

Enough was enough and sunk costs are sunk... just walked away even though it cost me a lot, nothing is worth taking months and years off of one’s lifespan and for what? So some <deleted> can make a few baht off of some damn mushrooms or whatever.

[Dinobot]

If all the review sites and travel sites were aware of this and business falls far from December to April/May, it will (hopefully?) force the government to take some action.

Start the thread, we will all go post on it!

[Teacherduck]

Any issue not attached to warships, planes or tanks, is beyond the Military government, so expect nothing. If a new government is formed, maybe something will be done. I won't hold my breath

[cerox]

They can be "concerned" and "call" and "urge" as much as they want.

Still have to wait for the rain in May to "solve" the problem.

[alant]

Will download this so I can use again next year

[boonrawdcnx]

They can do any state they want, emergency, end of the world, whatever but with 0 enforcement and the neighbours burning away, 0 effect.
 
EDIT: 700!! Time to evacuate if you're still there. The meter on my balcony in the Pattaya dark side says 26 right now. Plenty of long time hotels avaiable here.

A simple air purifier will do - the level in our bedroom is between 1-3 of course one should avoid to go out.

But of course it is again the poor who suffer the most in this crises as most can not afford a face mask let alone an air purifier. Workers are out without protection doing their jobs as they have to survive from day to day and nobody cares!

As for “state of emergency” what for? Allocate a budget which will then disappear in the pockets of the selected few?

Nothing they can do except for handing out masks.
Years and years of talk and no action has caused this and it will be the same next year.

There was of course an ignorance from the governments side during the last few weeks which is almost criminal.

Most foreigners in Chiang Mai are aware of what is going on while Thais I assume do not get the information they need with the sense of urgency it is needed. Or why would a woman in our neighborhood take 4 little children out to play in this toxic air and nobody -including herself -wearing any masks.

It is almost criminal negligence that not much but some lackluster information and a few expensive posters announcing the burning ban - what a joke - came from the governments side while this has been building up over the last few weeks.
Zero help provided to poor people who do not have the means to protect themselves.
Most of all children who’s lungs are still developing are poisoned by this toxic air while the government in Bangkok is busy rigging elections.

95 % of all Thais are still out and about without proper face masks obviously not aware about how serious this situation is.

First they destroyed every prime forest in the entire area for profit and now ignorant people all around including neighboring countries keep burning because incompetent governments fail to address this issue and provide education and alternatives.

Whatever the reaction - for lack of being pro-active- will be now from the government- it will be too little too late.


Sent from my iPhone using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[Pravda]

50 minutes ago, Teacherduck said:

I won't hold my breath

 

You should. At least in Chiang Mai ????

[Captain 776]

19 hours ago, teacherofwoe said:

1. Anyone lighting a forest or field gets 10 years mandatory without appeal or parole.

2. Anyone in possession of those grim black mushrooms gets 10 years mandatory without appeal or parole.

3. Any burn forest or field must lie fallow for 10 years.

4. Anyone found growing crops on burnt land within a 10 year period gets 10 years mandatory without appeal or parole.

5. Any company, including all directors of the board, that utilize burnt land shall have their business assets seized to pay for harm caused, and all parties shall have their personal assets frozen for 10 years and 10 years mandatory without appeal or parole.

6. Any politician found receiving donations or accepting a lobbying appeal from a company, or representative of a company, which has been prosecuted and found guilty of any of parts 1 to 5, shall have their personal assets seized to pay for harm caused, and gets 20 years mandatory without appeal or parole.

 

Problem solved if someone up there only had the balls.

I have always been a firm believer in:

 

Without penalty......expect no change.

[cerox]

I am sure when they read that they have a good laugh ????

[malibukid]

1 hour ago, boonrawdcnx said:

 

A simple air purifier will do - the level in our bedroom is between 1-3 of course one should avoid to go out.

But of course it is again the poor who suffer the most in this crises as most can not afford a face mask let alone an air purifier. Workers are out without protection doing their jobs as they have to survive from day to day and nobody cares!

As for “state of emergency” what for? Allocate a budget which will then disappear in the pockets of the selected few?

Nothing they can do except for handing out masks.
Years and years of talk and no action has caused this and it will be the same next year.

There was of course an ignorance from the governments side during the last few weeks which is almost criminal.

Most foreigners in Chiang Mai are aware of what is going on while Thais I assume do not get the information they need with the sense of urgency it is needed. Or why would a woman in our neighborhood take 4 little children out to play in this toxic air and nobody -including herself -wearing any masks.

It is almost criminal negligence that not much but some lackluster information and a few expensive posters announcing the burning ban - what a joke - came from the governments side while this has been building up over the last few weeks.
Zero help provided to poor people who do not have the means to protect themselves.
Most of all children who’s lungs are still developing are poisoned by this toxic air while the government in Bangkok is busy rigging elections.

95 % of all Thais are still out and about without proper face masks obviously not aware about how serious this situation is.

First they destroyed every prime forest in the entire area for profit and now ignorant people all around including neighboring countries keep burning because incompetent governments fail to address this issue and provide education and alternatives.

Whatever the reaction - for lack of being pro-active- will be now from the government- it will be too little too late.


Sent from my iPhone using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

 

have you heard, life is cheap in Asia. always has been and always will be.