Udon Thani Air Pollution

[noosard]

Have a look at what Mak posted on the 27th
shows where most of the fires are

[Whistler]

Mak, I looked at the same site a few days ago, almost all the fires were local. What was the date of your map

[jackspratt]

Assuming this map is accurate, little of the air pollution in Udon can be attributed to local burning.

As stated above, it mainly seems to be coming from (in Udon's case), Laos in the north, and to a lesser extent, from Thailand in the west.

https://firms.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov/ma ... .7,18.2,7z

[Whistler]

Mak, I looked at the same site a few days ago, almost all the fires were local. What was the date of your map

[Whistler]

Kp think about it!

You capitalised the go to hell, your emphasis.

If you think some old farmer should set pollution policy for Thailand, you have rocks in your head.

[Whistler]

Map of fires today

[msa]

I like my screenshot even better.

It’s so beautiful with all the red colors.

However if I zoom to only Udon the picture is nice green with only a few red spots.

Both screenshots are taken March 28th 2023 at 1600Z.

The truth is in the eye of beholder.

[rick]

Air quality is a very variable factor. Tried 3 sites, got AQI's of 17, 69 and 102. The clean East side was 17 (as always, very little burning here, as we are environmentally conscious,) while the West as usual giving 102.
The sky is red, but air good at ground level.

[Whistler]

I wonder about the accuracy of some of these sites. I drove between between udon and kut chap 3 times in past week. Driving in the early evening there were dozens of fires most were quite small, do these show on these maps? I also drove past a cane field about 10 k from ring rd and saw it black with scores of rai totally burnt out.

[mak]

Air quality a bit better today. No mask for morning walk. Maybe a little rain later.

[Khun Paul]

If as some MAPS show a prepondrane of fires burning in many places but feel a need to argue about when,what and dates of said maps, shows that in fact the situation must therefoe be dire and needs a large dose of COMMON-SENSE.

Pollution and pollution haze is also determined by what the ACTUAL weather is doing ,as period of little or no wind/breeze allows that pollution/haze to settle in valleys and dips in the ground. Udon like many Thai conurbations are in DIPS , therefore lack of even a breeze can lead to build up of air Pollutants.

Now I appreciate that Homo Sapiens might think they can control many things BUT again Mother nature a force more powerful than many FIRST Rate countries has made a decision that it will do what it wants when it wants o and the Humans just have to live with it or change.

So like the ANT problem, learn to live withing the boundaries and adjust to the situation , stop moaning and groaning if we can do something about i, then we individually or collectively should do it , but the constant whinging is getting depressive . There is a cure for those of you that are unable to cope...............Stop breathing your problems like you will then fade away!!!!

This morning for example there is zeo breeze, I can smell on th air next-doors outside kitchen brewing up god knows what, th fumes from a passing lorry , but also the scent from a fw plants that have a delicious scent almost like almonds. We all are fully aware of regulations that are ignored daily and the fact tha Planning is almsot non-existent and enforcement is a joke, live with it or move.

Yesterdays rainfall albeit low was a blessing, cleared the air and left everything fresh.Cooler for a couple of days but rising again to 40 ish beginning of A pril .

[Laan Yaa Mo]

While I empathise with those who have breathing problems, in reality no actual POINT Blaming the Thais , many of who have heeded the calls, howsever inside this geographical outcrop comprising of most of the South Eastern Nations, clearing the land by burning is embeded in their cultural activities in a religious way and as three of them are far poorer than Thais it will not change anytime soon .
So instead of continually castigating the farmers for doing what they have done for centuries, Governments and Industry need to come up with less polluting ideas for achieving the same aim As one old farmer expressed top me if they do not like it many will just grow enough for themselves with a little extra for LOCAL sale and everyone else can go to hell . THAT WILL MEAN LESS FOOD !!

This activity is arcane, destructive and inefficient.

An enlightened government would develop plans for farmers as an alternative and help change for the better. If properly managed it will mean more food, and better land management and they just might get a better living. Telling others they can go to hell might be your attitude, but thank goodness there are not too many with that negative view on things.

This is a subject that should be addressed by agronomists, not armchair experts.

This is just one of the hundreds of discussions about why this practice should change

https://www.ccacoalition.org/en/activit ... rning-peru

BTW, 29,000 did go to some other place, hopefully not hell

https://www.greenpeace.org/southeastasi ... Air%20data.

This is a very difficult problem to solve, in particular, among the hill tribe people of Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and China, who have been practicing slash and burn tactics for centuries. In addition, the border regions of some of these countries are lawless where labs manufacture illegal drugs, illegal casinos are rife, and underage prostitution is rampant some of which is encouraged by the aforementioned governments. A good example is the Wa and Kokang areas of Myanmar that border eastern Thailand. The British couldn't control it (the Wa practiced headhunting in those days), and the Myanmar government has deemed it wise to stay out. Chinese tourists flood the place to gamble, the drug trade is in full force, and so on. I am not sure how these many problems are going to be solved, and who is going to go into places like the Wa region, and try to enforce a policy that we might like, but the Wa see as interference in their homeland, and as not positive to them.

[FrazeeDK]

the canard of "slash and burn" agriculture being the primary cause of burning is B/S. It allowed governments to profile the "mountain tribes" as the burning boogeymen.. It may have been an issue 50 years ago but not now. It is field burning, forest burning for commercial reasons.. Cheaper and easier to burn off a field than to plow under the dtritus.. Cheaper and easier to burn a cane field prior to harvest to allow the older less efficient cane cutter combines to harvest.. We've already covered the massive burning outside Thailand in Laos, Burma and Cambodia..

[rick]

Have not seen a burnt rice field locally for about 3 years. We do get our share of trash fires after roadside trimming. I was burning Eucalyptus leaves today ( necessary as too high a risk of an accidemtal fire if left pn the ground next to a road).

[mak]

Air pollution in Thailand has made the international news:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-65120502

[rick]

Pity the BBC doesn't know much about Thailand. Writer thinks Chiang Mai is North of Chiang Rai? Obviously Geography was not a strong point of Somchit, he should know better.

[stattointhailand]

Am I going blind? I cant see any reference to Chiang Mai, let alone where its positioned in relation to Chiang Rai

[jackspratt]

Am I going blind?

Yes.

Cause yet to be determined.

[stattointhailand]

Polluted peepers?

[raygun]

Seems a bit worse lately. Could use some rain for sure.