chiangmai
Crazy Mango Extraordinaire
Posts: 6,218
Likes: 5,233
|
Post by chiangmai on Mar 4, 2021 7:29:26 GMT 7
The air quality in the North is becoming very poor, the AQI readings just North of Chiang Mai are approaching 200....March is full on burning season in these parts. We have two major problems up here: The first is the amount of burning that takes place in Laos and Shan State in Myanmar, just to the North West of here. This is where the Chinese proxy contract maize farmers operate en-masse, all courtesy of a local Thai business person. Because of Chinese agricultural policy it's cheaper to grow corn outside the country in a low income country and then import it into China where the costs are high. A second aspect of this is the burning of maize stalks in China is forbidden because of the resultant pollution! www.card.iastate.edu/ag_policy_review/article/?a=59An interesting write up on the above from Greenpeace: www.greenpeace.org/southeastasia/publication/4117/maize-land-use-change-and-transboundary-haze-pollution/The second problem is the inversion layer, which is somewhat unique to Northern Thailand. This is where a layer of heavier more dense, colder air inserts itself above the warmer more heavily polluted air that sits close to the ground and prevents it from rising and being dispersed. Local burning is of course an issue but far less than the other two I just mentioned. Where I live there's a burning ban in place until Songkran and nobody will break that or neighbors' will have words with the offenders...attitudes are slowly changing but not fast enough. Links to the NASA fire maps site and the wind map below. firms2.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov/map/#t:adv;d:2021-01-05..2021-01-06;l:countries;@107.1,16.5,5z www.windy.com/?19.461,106.277,6
|
|
AyG
Crazy Mango Extraordinaire
Posts: 5,871
Likes: 4,555
|
Post by AyG on Mar 4, 2021 8:22:27 GMT 7
|
|
chiangmai
Crazy Mango Extraordinaire
Posts: 6,218
Likes: 5,233
|
Post by chiangmai on Mar 4, 2021 10:09:06 GMT 7
Have to say that picture is absolutely shocking, the picture is of Doi Suthep, home to the famous temple of the same name. That's about 25kms from us and directly behind the city itself. We had no idea fires had been lit to that extent, there was nothing on any news channel but everyone living in CM would have seen it. It's also interesting that the entire Doi Suthep mountain is a national park, albeit the Hmong village of Doi Pui is 10kms further on/up.
|
|
chiangmai
Crazy Mango Extraordinaire
Posts: 6,218
Likes: 5,233
|
Post by chiangmai on Mar 4, 2021 11:17:04 GMT 7
Weekends are normally the times when local burning is a problem, night time entertainment is some home brew and a can of petrol. The thought of a crop of expensive mushrooms is all it takes to get the party started, safe in the knowledge that what little enforcement does exist, won't be active on the weekend.
|
|
chiangmai
Crazy Mango Extraordinaire
Posts: 6,218
Likes: 5,233
|
Post by chiangmai on Mar 10, 2021 4:28:45 GMT 7
"The northern region on Tuesday had 926 hotspots, 617 in protected areas and and 293 in reserved forests. Mae Hong Son had the most hotspots at 442, followed by Chiang Mai at 211 and Tak 108".
To interpret: AA hotspot is a major fire or cluster of fires that can be uniquely identified using NASA satelite imagery.
A protected area is typically a national park, hill tribe villages are frequently located next to national parks.
"Tuesday's morning, the level of PM2.5 in Chiang Mai rose above 200 microgrammes per cubic metre (µg/m3), according to IQ AirVisual and the Thailand Pollution Control Department (PCD)'s air monitoring station gave similar findings".
I keep the AQI program active on my desktop so I can keep an eye on the numbers near my home, we're located in the middle of a triangle with three stations surrounding us, all within one mile. Currently, the three stations are all in excess of 250, it's a rare day when they are under 200. Ten miles to the East of me two sensors are showing over 400.
"Then, IQ AirVisual on Tuesday announced that the city had in fact been the very worst place in the world for many straight days with a USAQI of 195, followed by Beijing on 182".
We'd be quite happy with 195, that would indicate progress.
"That is because the southern west wind current would be too weak to blow away the dust particles and these were trapped by the cool weather in the evenings".
There's a major part of the problem, the inversion layer at work, it has been quite chilly here early morning until midday. Of course, the inversion layer wouldn't be a problem if people didn't light the bloody fires in the first place or the powers that be were out there doing some policing, education and prevention.
|
|
Mosha
Crazy Mango Extraordinaire
Posts: 5,663
Likes: 2,874
|
Post by Mosha on Mar 15, 2021 5:37:10 GMT 7
A few years ago we got the smoke from Indonesia. A very uncomfortable few days. Sopha's cousin lives in Johore Bahru and they get it every year.
|
|
chiangmai
Crazy Mango Extraordinaire
Posts: 6,218
Likes: 5,233
|
Post by chiangmai on Mar 15, 2021 6:02:23 GMT 7
We experienced it one year in Phuket, it was as bad then as it is in the North now.
|
|
rubl
Crazy Mango Extraordinaire
The wondering type
Posts: 23,522
Likes: 8,889
|
Post by rubl on Mar 15, 2021 12:19:29 GMT 7
Well, being used to wearing a face mask will surely help. Unless you're an American Republican Trump lover or just a plain QAnon type of course. then you don't need such things impeding your freedom to be foolish.
|
|
smokie36
Vigilante
Posts: 15,638
Likes: 9,047
|
Post by smokie36 on Mar 15, 2021 14:54:04 GMT 7
Fly you fools!
|
|
chiangmai
Crazy Mango Extraordinaire
Posts: 6,218
Likes: 5,233
|
Post by chiangmai on Mar 15, 2021 15:12:03 GMT 7
We run two whole-house air purifiers this time of the year, it works for us....we just don't go out as much but it only lasts a couple of months.
Anyway, I've heard from neighbours back in the UK that three residents of the enclave where we have a flat, have died, all in the space of two weeks. It seems to me that staying here and putting up with the dirty air is far better than going back to the North of England, it seems to be a risky proposition currently.
|
|
rubl
Crazy Mango Extraordinaire
The wondering type
Posts: 23,522
Likes: 8,889
|
Post by rubl on Mar 15, 2021 17:34:14 GMT 7
We run two whole-house air purifiers this time of the year, it works for us....we just don't go out as much but it only lasts a couple of months. Anyway, I've heard from neighbours back in the UK that three residents of the enclave where we have a flat, have died, all in the space of two weeks. It seems to me that staying here and putting up with the dirty air is far better than going back to the North of England, it seems to be a risky proposition currently. Back in the UK you'd probably be eligible for your first jab already? As for those air purifiers, do you regularly clean filters or is it easier to buy new ones? PS 'only lasts a couple of months'? Makes me wonder how many months you have in a year, months you don't have to lockdown that is.
|
|
chiangmai
Crazy Mango Extraordinaire
Posts: 6,218
Likes: 5,233
|
Post by chiangmai on Mar 15, 2021 18:07:16 GMT 7
We run two whole-house air purifiers this time of the year, it works for us....we just don't go out as much but it only lasts a couple of months. Anyway, I've heard from neighbours back in the UK that three residents of the enclave where we have a flat, have died, all in the space of two weeks. It seems to me that staying here and putting up with the dirty air is far better than going back to the North of England, it seems to be a risky proposition currently. Back in the UK you'd probably be eligible for your first jab already? As for those air purifiers, do you regularly clean filters or is it easier to buy new ones? PS 'only lasts a couple of months'? Makes me wonder how many months you have in a year, months you don't have to lockdown that is. We have two Xiaomi brand air purifiers which use HEPA filters, the filters must be replaced and cannot be cleaned. The filter on the whole house machine lasts six months, they're large packs containing carbon and filter material, the cost is 2k Baht per pair. The smaller model we use in our bedroom goes through a HEPA filter once a year, cost is 650 baht each. We also cover our air conditioner filters with 3M's Filtrette which removes PM2.5 size particles. Once the system is set up there is no overhead maintenance, you just have to remember to stay indoors and keep windows and doors closed. We started running the machines three weeks ago and they'll probably keep running through Songkran, I can live with that.
|
|
|
Post by rgs2001uk on Mar 15, 2021 21:08:47 GMT 7
, they never listen smokes, I am fed up telling them, there is nothing but heartache and despair north of bangkok, move to apache country what do you expect?
|
|
rubl
Crazy Mango Extraordinaire
The wondering type
Posts: 23,522
Likes: 8,889
|
Post by rubl on Mar 15, 2021 21:14:49 GMT 7
Probably an urban legend, but it's said that almost anyone who sends a message like "Fly, all is discovered!" to a dozen friends will see indeed at least one or two 'disappear'.
|
|
rubl
Crazy Mango Extraordinaire
The wondering type
Posts: 23,522
Likes: 8,889
|
Post by rubl on Mar 15, 2021 21:16:59 GMT 7
|
|