Pollution In Chiang Rai

[Jahil]

Looking at the data of Pollution control department the last days, it looks like the pollution level is very high in CR.

As I intend to buy a land next month to build a house, i would like to have your idea about the real situation:

- is it a permanent situation or is it the case only a few days a year?

- is it concentrate on CR city or on the suburb also? when I look at the index in Phayao, it looks much better??

thank you for your comments

[jubby]

Looking at the data of Pollution control department the last days, it looks like the pollution level is very high in CR.

As I intend to buy a land next month to build a house, i would like to have your idea about the real situation:

- is it a permanent situation or is it the case only a few days a year?

- is it concentrate on CR city or on the suburb also? when I look at the index in Phayao, it looks much better??

thank you for your comments

I'm going to spare people on here and not go on about the Pollution. There's not much we can do about it. A lot of it starts in Chiang Rai but the powers that be don't seem to want to deal with it.

We've only had two really bad weeks as yet and may get another 2 to 4 being optimistic.

Some people get sick, and some people are fine.

My solution is to take a Vacation South.

10 months a year the Air seem great to me so its not really that bad.

As for concentrations in which area , reports suggest its just one big cloud over the whole north of Thailand.

[toybits]

I bicycle to work which is about an 8 km trip each way. Halfway through the commute, I noticed that my eyes stung when sweat gets into them - which was rather unusual. It must be from all the smoke!

Smoked sweat stings.

Jahil, this is a temporary situation. Start of the rainy season the smog disappears.

You must understand that this is part of the natural cycle and is a necessary one. If forests were not allowed to have a "controlled" burn, the forest litter would accumulate and if it burnt, the trees would be killed. If the forest litter is allowed to burn a little at a time, the trees would not die. So we all just have to live with it.

Edited March 8, 2009 by toybits

[Ajarn]

I bicycle to work which is about an 8 km trip each way. Halfway through the commute, I noticed that my eyes stung when sweat gets into them - which was rather unusual. It must be from all the smoke!

Smoked sweat stings.

Jahil, this is a temporary situation. Start of the rainy season the smog disappears.

You must understand that this is part of the natural cycle and is a necessary one. If forests were not allowed to have a "controlled" burn, the forest litter would accumulate and if it burnt, the trees would be killed. If the forest litter is allowed to burn a little at a time, the trees would not die. So we all just have to live with it.

Silly boy, you think all this smoke is from the 'litter fires'? They account for less than 1% of the smoke, in my estimation. It is NOT something we have to live with at all because most are unneeded.

Edited March 8, 2009 by Ajarn

[fbran]

I'm going to disagree here a bit. The fires from the countryside start toward the end of January, and the constant smog starts in February and goes through May. So basically, you are looking at 3-4 months of very bad air. Chiang Rai is a great place, but this situation is one of its drawbacks. I echo the above comment: go somewhere else during this time frame if you can.

[sceadugenga]

It seems to vary, 2007 was the worst I've experienced in 5 years and I missed a lot of it through being away.

Last year wasn't too bad, and I dared to hope that '07 was just a freak year but it is bad again this year.

In the last two years the rains did arrive early though and the smog/haze/smoke/pollution was gone well before the end of April.

[toybits]

Silly me.... I forgot that in Chiang Mai, the smoke comes mostly from the incineration of rubbish. Pardon the omission - Ajarn.

Silly boy, you think all this smoke is from the 'litter fires'? They account for less than 1% of the smoke, in my estimation. It is NOT something we have to live with at all because most are unneeded.

[Jahil]

Thank you for your comments.

The conclusion is that we better plan hollidays and travels from mid February to mid of April!!

[mumbojumbo]

You must understand that this is part of the natural cycle and is a necessary one. If forests were not allowed to have a "controlled" burn, the forest litter would accumulate and if it burnt, the trees would be killed. If the forest litter is allowed to burn a little at a time, the trees would not die. So we all just have to live with it.

Natural cycle, my butt, most of the fires in the hills are man set, to clear jungle, chase snakes, and other reasons.

The burning of rice fields still exists, but not to the extent it used to be.

[toybits]

Mea culpa!!! Human (aka - Homo sapiens) is above the natural cycle.

But read the rest of the statement. Having frequent but low-intensity forest fires - whether spontaneous or made by Homo sapiens is better for the trees. But who cares about the trees and the forest? What is important is the comfort of Homo sapiens.

You must understand that this is part of the natural cycle and is a necessary one. If forests were not allowed to have a "controlled" burn, the forest litter would accumulate and if it burnt, the trees would be killed. If the forest litter is allowed to burn a little at a time, the trees would not die. So we all just have to live with it.

Natural cycle, my butt, most of the fires in the hills are man set, to clear jungle, chase snakes, and other reasons.

The burning of rice fields still exists, but not to the extent it used to be.

[jubby]

I care about the Tree and Forests mate.

I think a bit of controlled burning is necessary in some cercumstances and understand what your saying about Natural Fires in The Forests and think your quite correct . But most of the problem that I see with my own eyes is on the edge of the forests. Not so much as controlled burning to protect the forests Health but slightly out of control burning in order to remove the forest for agriculture. sanctioned or not I don't know. Tonight I cannot see the fires on the horizon and not surprisingly the airs a bit clearer I can even see a few stars.

I realise its due to different reasons elsewhere. Most of it could be stopped or better controlled if the powers were serious about a solution in my opinion.

[Soulwy]

I kind of regret being here in these months, I better buy these white Michael-Jackson-look-a-like mouthmasks one of these days (Pharmacy?) My next visit will definetely not be around this time of year.

[jubby]

I kind of regret being here in these months, I better buy these white Michael-Jackson-look-a-like mouthmasks one of these days (Pharmacy?) My next visit will definetely not be around this time of year.

yeah its not so much fun touring around seeing the sights when you can't see the mountains or valleys for that matter.

[sceadugenga]

Hard on us wannabe shutterbugs also, restricts us to taking piccies of dogs and plates of Thai food when you're a natural landscape man.

(That's a joke that you would only get if you're following the photography competition in the relevant sub-forum).

[toybits]

I'll let you in on a little secret. buzzz buzzz. Many villagers set fire on the fringes of the forest to burn off the brush and stimulate new growth so that their cattle has new shoots to nibble on.

Removing the forest for agriculture like planting rubber trees. Have seen than too. Lots of land being converted to rubber in Chiang Khong. But between rubber and corn, I would rather see rubber trees on the hills.

I care about the Tree and Forests mate.

I think a bit of controlled burning is necessary in some cercumstances and understand what your saying about Natural Fires in The Forests and think your quite correct . But most of the problem that I see with my own eyes is on the edge of the forests. Not so much as controlled burning to protect the forests Health but slightly out of control burning in order to remove the forest for agriculture. sanctioned or not I don't know. Tonight I cannot see the fires on the horizon and not surprisingly the airs a bit clearer I can even see a few stars.

I realise its due to different reasons elsewhere. Most of it could be stopped or better controlled if the powers were serious about a solution in my opinion.

[lukamar]

is it concentrate on CR city or on the suburb also? when I look at the index in Phayao, it looks much better??

Phayao is as bad as Chiang Rai and worse at times, FYI

[Soulwy]

Today was terrible, so smoky: itchy eyes, swollen throat. Today I decided not to stay in Chiang Rai. Going to a place with clean air.

I can't believe this is happening here, it is so bad for the health.

[jubby]

Today was terrible, so smoky: itchy eyes, swollen throat. Today I decided not to stay in Chiang Rai. Going to a place with clean air.

I can't believe this is happening here, it is so bad for the health.

Thats all you can do.

I took a walk around our Village this morning. One woman was busy burning leaves, tidying up her back yard, another Guy has just started making Charcoal. It Did put a smile on my face. There's just nothing else to say.

[goski]

I can hardly see the other side of the street this morning, and I live in the middle of town.

[chang35baht]

I can hardly see the other side of the street this morning, and I live in the middle of town.

Drunk again. Tsk tsk.

[villagefarang]

Hard on us wannabe shutterbugs also, restricts us to taking piccies of dogs and plates of Thai food when you're a natural landscape man.

(That's a joke that you would only get if you're following the photography competition in the relevant sub-forum).

This morning I am living in a brown bubble that limits my view of the world. With the landscape obscured, there is little left but still life and portraits. Keeping it natural, however, I prefer shots of animals or flowers in and around the garden. Food is a necessity of life but something I try not to focus on.

[samuibeachcomber]

I would love to live up in chiang mai/chiang rai,but no way am i going to and have to put up with 2-4 months every year of not being able to breath very well,same reason i would n't live in bangkok,its a filthy place with the noise of traffic,diesal fumes,fly overs on top of each other,ugh!unless work takes you their i cannot see any reason to put up with any of it.

[toybits]

I am beginning to suspect that there is a conspiracy by people like ****** to scare EASYDOGG and keep him out of Chiang Rai.... Hmmmmm....

[canopy]

I am not pulling any punches here, but rather just telling it the way I found it. Below is my account of a beautiful place I once wanted to live.

When I visited CR to look for land a year ago the visibility was greatly limited by a brown haze like you see when a car goes down a dirty road, the whole place stank, and my eyes and lungs burned. Even the air conditioned hotel I stayed at, one of the nicest in CR, was burning trash and plastic outside! We complained and they sprayed an air freshener in our room that helped briefly, but left the smoldering pit go on all night. If that is the mentality in the nicest place it seems there is just no hope things are gonna get any better in our generation. I slept that night with the sheets used as sort of a gas mask to little avail; it was still one of the most difficult nights for me to get through. Then I quickly cancelled my CR stay and got back to Bangkok which seemed like a fresh air paradise in comparison. I am an active outdoors person so thick smoke lasting months each year makes CR unworkable. It's got to be terribly unhealthy for a person. I could take it, but why? Or I could be driven from my home for months each year in search of normal air, but why? That's my view, but go see for yourself or look at some photos on the net.

And I strongly disagree with the sentiments given that an annual burning is needed for the health of the forest. Forests did magnificantly since the beginning of time before Thai's came tampering with them in the last generation or two. An environmental impact statement would show annual burnings are doing far more harm to the forests than anyone realizes (not even considering impacts to us humans). A good burn in accordance with natures schedule is healthy, torching absolutely everything, every year is not. The ecosystem top to bottom evolved millions of years on a natural burning schedule and is unfamiliar and hence less able to cope with the madness happening now.

[jubby]

Its bad dont' get me wrong but 'Brown Haze' ? . Where the hel_l were you ?

All I see is 'Grey Haze' like a Fog. Usually in the distance if I'm lucky.

[toybits]

I agree that Bangkok Smog is better than Chiang Rai Smog. At least in Bangkok, you get your smog 365.25 days of the year. Too bad in Chiang Rai, we only have to suffer through this madness for 2 to 3 months. Tsk tsk...

I am not pulling any punches here, but rather just telling it the way I found it. Below is my account of a beautiful place I once wanted to live.

When I visited CR to look for land a year ago the visibility was greatly limited by a brown haze like you see when a car goes down a dirty road, the whole place stank, and my eyes and lungs burned. Even the air conditioned hotel I stayed at, one of the nicest in CR, was burning trash and plastic outside! We complained and they sprayed an air freshener in our room that helped briefly, but left the smoldering pit go on all night. If that is the mentality in the nicest place it seems there is just no hope things are gonna get any better in our generation. I slept that night with the sheets used as sort of a gas mask to little avail; it was still one of the most difficult nights for me to get through. Then I quickly cancelled my CR stay and got back to Bangkok which seemed like a fresh air paradise in comparison. I am an active outdoors person so thick smoke lasting months each year makes CR unworkable. It's got to be terribly unhealthy for a person. I could take it, but why? Or I could be driven from my home for months each year in search of normal air, but why? That's my view, but go see for yourself or look at some photos on the net.

And I strongly disagree with the sentiments given that an annual burning is needed for the health of the forest. Forests did magnificantly since the beginning of time before Thai's came tampering with them in the last generation or two. An environmental impact statement would show annual burnings are doing far more harm to the forests than anyone realizes (not even considering impacts to us humans). A good burn in accordance with natures schedule is healthy, torching absolutely everything, every year is not. The ecosystem top to bottom evolved millions of years on a natural burning schedule and is unfamiliar and hence less able to cope with the madness happening now.

[flying]

So basically you residents there would say skip a visit at this time?

I was hoping to take a drive up there this weekend.

I have never been there & wanted to see. But if it is as bad as most places north right now maybe I should put it off till next time?

This smoke is bad but bearable. I am not so much complaining but for you folks living there I wondered are all the surrounding mountains etc pretty obscured then?

If so I may as well wait for the next trip to get a view. I was going to stay a day or two to get a feel for the place but may as well save the cost then? Today while driving through the Doi Saket area I could not see any of the nice mountains I know are there

Thanks for any info

[sceadugenga]

Yeah, it's smoky today.

Taken at 6pm.

[canopy]

I agree that Bangkok Smog is better than Chiang Rai Smog. At least in Bangkok, you get your smog 365.25 days of the year. Too bad in Chiang Rai, we only have to suffer through this madness for 2 to 3 months. Tsk tsk...

Ha ha, but Bangkok has safe air year round. Chiang Rai presently has the worst air in all of Thailand. The brown haze is plainly visible from the photo above and indeed the air quality does not meet safety guidelines. The Air Quality Index (AQI) for Bangkok is in the 20's-40's today. The Chiang Rai AQI is 168. The standard is 100. It is unbelievable to me that this burning is not just tolerated, but also contributed to by national parks. Provinces AQI snapshot from today:

For more data: http://www.pcd.go.th/AirQuality/Regional/Default.cfm

Edited March 12, 2009 by canopy

[lannaman]

Face masks.

The wholesale pharmacy, at the main entrance to the Night Bazaar has white surgical masks at 10 baht. Go quickly before they all sell out. I wouldn't be without one on my motorcycle! This smoke haze, I wouldn't call it smog ( I remember the coal induced smog in the 60s in UK) isn't as bad as all that, in 2007 it was worse, but it may still be heading that way later.