News Forum - Illegal burning in Northern Thailand contributes harmful levels of air pollutant PM2.5

[Thaiger]

Illegal burning in more than 135 areas in the northern province Mae Hong Son has contributed to the rise of the air pollutant PM2.5 to levels considered to be harmful to human health. Authorities are also concerned that the poor air quality could also worsen the condition of Covid-19 patients in the area. Today, the air quality in Mae Hong Son reached what IQ Air considers “Very Unhealthy” levels. Some fires in the north of Thailand are from crop burning where farmers intentionally set fire to fields after harvesting to quickly clear the land and fertilise the soil. The debate […]

The story Illegal burning in Northern Thailand contributes harmful levels of air pollutant PM2.5 as seen on Thaiger News.

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[Pompies]

What strikes me is the utter powerlessness of the authorities in whatever province you look at. It beggars belief that after centuries there is still no effective way of dealing with this catastrophic health threat. It is way past the time when real resources and punitive measures are actually applied along with meaningful positive solutions that make burning no longer attractive. Take the billions to be spent on a handful of warplanes and apply a fraction of that budget through a planned series of stick & carrot initiatives and the huge annual medical bill for treating victims of pollution will be significantly reduced. But this needs intelligent thought and concerted application which we all know is sadly lacking throughout this country.

 

[Soidog]

16 minutes ago, Pompies said:

What strikes me is the utter powerlessness of the authorities in whatever province you look at. It beggars belief that after centuries there is still no effective way of dealing with this catastrophic health threat. It is way past the time when real resources and punitive measures are actually applied along with meaningful positive solutions that make burning no longer attractive. Take the billions to be spent on a handful of warplanes and apply a fraction of that budget through a planned series of stick & carrot initiatives and the huge annual medical bill for treating victims of pollution will be significantly reduced. But this needs intelligent thought and concerted application which we all know is sadly lacking throughout this country.

All down to corruption. Pointless having laws when anyone can ignore them if they pay enough. That’s exactly what is causing this problem. Until corruption stops, this will carry on. 

[Guest1]

There are two sides of these:

Yes, the constantly burning in the beginning of the year is a health risk for many.

Just if it would not burn every year, ther woukd be the one or the other big blast every couple of years.

I drove through Knachanaburi, a couple of years ago, around the reservoirs in/to the west. There were lots of fires , even cose to the road, but all just on the ground, in the lower dead area.

Now imagine, if that is not burning every year, or better, don't imagine it, look to California. There they stopped burning "little" often, and get now "big" every other year.

What I am wondering, there are lots of fires on the myanmar sife, these days (IQair.com).

But not the usual blame, it comes from behind the border?

What I am not getting, that is when people in the villages or cities are burning in the yard. And the police is pretending, not to see or smell that. There they could start. Easily. If they wanted.

 

[AdvocatusDiaboli]

3 hours ago, Thaiger said:

Illegal burning in more than 135 areas in the northern province Mae Hong Son has contributed to the rise of the air pollutant PM2.5 to levels considered to be harmful to human health.

Well this should keep the Office of Disaster Prevention Mitigation, investigating each of the 135 areas to prevent a disaster. Something to earn there brown envelopes.

[BawHuu]

What about the neighbors?

https://firms.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov/map/#d:24hrs;l:noaa20-viirs,viirs,modis_a,modis_t,countries;@101.3,16.7,7z

[Guevara]

1 hour ago, Pompies said:

What strikes me is the utter powerlessness of the authorities in whatever province you look at. It beggars belief that after centuries there is still no effective way of dealing with this catastrophic health threat. It is way past the time when real resources and punitive measures are actually applied along with meaningful positive solutions that make burning no longer attractive. Take the billions to be spent on a handful of warplanes and apply a fraction of that budget through a planned series of stick & carrot initiatives and the huge annual medical bill for treating victims of pollution will be significantly reduced. But this needs intelligent thought and concerted application which we all know is sadly lacking throughout this country.

Don't forget that the hill tribe villagers have been doing this for centuries, a bit longer than your average tourist arrived. I'm not saying it's right, but sensitivity comes to play. 

Live with some of the hill tribes and see how they function.

[King Cotton]

43 minutes ago, Guevara said:

2 hours ago, Pompies said:

What strikes me is the utter powerlessness of the authorities in whatever province you look at. It beggars belief that after centuries there is still no effective way of dealing with this catastrophic health threat. It is way past the time when real resources and punitive measures are actually applied along with meaningful positive solutions that make burning no longer attractive. Take the billions to be spent on a handful of warplanes and apply a fraction of that budget through a planned series of stick & carrot initiatives and the huge annual medical bill for treating victims of pollution will be significantly reduced. But this needs intelligent thought and concerted application which we all know is sadly lacking throughout this country.

Don't forget that the hill tribe villagers have been doing this for centuries, a bit longer than your average tourist arrived. I'm not saying it's right, but sensitivity comes to play. 

Live with some of the hill tribes and see how they function.

Excellent comment there, @Guevara, re age-old farming practices and, although I warm to @Pompies's   ' . . . through a planned series of stick & carrot initiatives . . . ', when there are no alternatives to burning the very bulky 'spent' vegetation, after certain crop harvests, sugar cane and tomatoes for example, the 'carrots' may be next to impossible to devise. It's not like a spent rice crop can then be either ploughed-in or burnt, with a sugar cane 'afters' there's really no choice other than burn.

Farmers, as we all know, are pretty frugal people and, if there was a better, baht-saving, way than burning to get rid of the harvest aftermath, they would surely have found it, centuries ago.

[Guest1]

1 hour ago, Guevara said:

Don't forget that the hill tribe villagers have been doing this for centuries, a bit longer than your average tourist arrived

I here you.  In Europe we're still burning witches, ...., oh, wait, ...!

[Justin]

What is annoying is living a village and people burn small amounts of vegetation because I believe they don’t understand composting

Im glad they stop the  burning for a few months