Air pollution

[forcebwithu]

While walking the dogs before sunup this morning I noticed a heavy "mist" under the street lamps. Almost like a foggy London day. Not being in London, and realizing that was no mist I figured we're in for another bad smog day. No surprise then reading this Bangkok Post headline.

Govt sends out alert on PM2.5 risk

We're also at #1 for most polluted air in Thailand.

Edited December 7, 2023 by forcebwithu

[aj]

Just in time for high season. not long until the islands disappear. several weeks last year even the para sails

disappeared. it seems a bit early or i'm just older. both.

[jacko]

20 hours ago, forcebwithu said:

While walking the dogs before sunup this morning I noticed a heavy "mist" under the street lamps. Almost like a foggy London day. Not being in London, and realizing that was no mist I figured we're in for another bad smog day. No surprise then reading this Bangkok Post headline.

Yeah, I feel it in my eyes....you would think being on the coast we would be better off.

I am not far from where Hwy 36 and Sukhumvit meet, a lot of HGV traffic.... I might be healthier in town. Mrs would like me to move out to Nakhon Nowhere......

Yesterday I was looking out over the houses in front of me at the smoke rising into the sky..... I believe there is a contractor over there building houses, with labourers living is shacks. Every morning, I expect they burn their rubbish.....

[forcebwithu]

2 hours ago, jacko said:

Yeah, I feel it in my eyes....you would think being on the coast we would be better off.

I am not far from where Hwy 36 and Sukhumvit meet, a lot of HGV traffic.... I might be healthier in town. Mrs would like me to move out to Nakhon Nowhere......

Yesterday I was looking out over the houses in front of me at the smoke rising into the sky..... I believe there is a contractor over there building houses, with labourers living is shacks. Every morning, I expect they burn their rubbish.....

I hated that aspect of living in the village. Neighbors burning their rubbish and the smoke and stink wafting into our house.

Thais can be so generous on some things, and extremely inconsiderate and selfish in other areas.

[jacko]

22 hours ago, forcebwithu said:

Thais can be so generous on some things, and extremely inconsiderate and selfish in other areas.

I tend to give them the benefit of the doubt that they just don't realize their behavior impacts and disturbs those around them....BUT... they likely would resent you complaining and then they would do it for a reason!

[sailingbill]

3 hours ago, jacko said:

I tend to give them the benefit of the doubt that they just don't realize their behavior impacts and disturbs those around them....BUT... they likely would resent you complaining and then they would do it for a reason!

Having moved upcountry and baffled, gobsmacked? from Thai Behavior i agree with Jacko. We are confounded by their norms but their country their Mores . I am sometimes ready to say fuck this, my TGF saying Jai yen.  Then acts of kindness and selflessness keeps me here. The occasional bottle of Sake from Central helps. My monthly trips to Bangkok /Pattaya helps.  BUT heed jackos observation. your complaining will be look upon differently than in the West . Pause and pick your battles.

[Bazle]

https://thepattayanews.com/2023/12/11/provinces-grapple-with-hazardous-ultrafine-dust-levels/

PRESS RELEASE:

Thailand witnessed a concerning environmental situation on Sunday afternoon (Dec 10), with approximately 40% of its regions experiencing thick and hazardous levels of ultrafine dust, as reported by the Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISDA).

GISDA’s report on https://pm25.gistda.or.th/ revealed that 31 out of the 77 provinces in Thailand, primarily in the Central Plain, experienced unsafe levels of particulate matter measuring 2.5 micrometers or less in diameter (PM2.5). These levels ranged from 38.3 to 75.6 micrograms of PM2.5 per cubic meter of air over the past 24 hours, with the safety threshold set at 37.5µg/m³.

At 3 pm, the most severe level of 75.6µg/m³ was recorded in Samut Prakan, followed closely by 73.3µg/m³ in Ang Thong, 72.9µg/m³ in Bangkok, and 72.0µg/m³ in Nonthaburi.

Lower but still unsafe levels of PM2.5 were reported in several other provinces, including Sing Buri, Pathum Thani, Nakhon Pathom, Samut Sakhon, Ayutthaya, Lop Buri, Suphan Buri, and many more.

Residents in the affected provinces have been advised to steer clear of outdoor activities, as the Meteorological Department attributes the air pollution to stagnant atmospheric conditions.

The preceding is a press release from the Thai Government PR Department.

[forcebwithu]

This is what an AQI of 145 looks like.

 

[aj]

could see 1 para sail in pic. i think. can hardly wait until burning season.

may invest in cheap U.N. gas mask. be sexy handsome man again.

all bs aside. my wife family has lost 4 members 40-63 to lung disease in past 3 years

all up north where burning is so bad at times that the above picture looks like a clear day

[Bazle]

13 minutes ago, aj said:

could see 1 para sail in pic. i think. can hardly wait until burning season.

may invest in cheap U.N. gas mask. be sexy handsome man again.

all bs aside. my wife family has lost 4 members 40-63 to lung disease in past 3 years

all up north where burning is so bad at times that the above picture looks like a clear day

For me, it is very worrying that the bad pollution in Pattaya does NOT seem to be arising from sugar cane burning, and I have not read a plausible explanation of the culprit.

I fear that it is just general pollution from vehicle exhaust, factories, construction/deconstruction etc., and so will be very difficult to tackle.

[forcebwithu]

3 minutes ago, Bazle said:

For me, it is very worrying that the bad pollution in Pattaya does NOT seem to be arising from sugar cane burning, and I have not read a plausible explanation of the culprit.

I fear that it is just general pollution from vehicle exhaust, factories, construction/deconstruction etc., and so will be very difficult to tackle.

There's a lot of burning of the fields east of Pattaya. We see it all to often on hash runs out there.

One occasion sticks out in my mind was a few years ago during a period the govt was pushing hard via news reports they were working hard to stop the illegal burning. I was on a bike ride around Mabprachan when I saw a govt worker at the water plant stoking a burn pile right next to the bike path.

As long as the govt continues to pay lip service to the problem, nothing will change and it'll only get worse.

[Bazle]

55 minutes ago, forcebwithu said:

There's a lot of burning of the fields east of Pattaya. We see it all to often on hash runs out there.

One occasion sticks out in my mind was a few years ago during a period the govt was pushing hard via news reports they were working hard to stop the illegal burning. I was on a bike ride around Mabprachan when I saw a govt worker at the water plant stoking a burn pile right next to the bike path.

As long as the govt continues to pay lip service to the problem, nothing will change and it'll only get worse.

Thanks. 

I think it would be good if you could get that to Bangkok Post, Khaosod English, etc. 

[forcebwithu]

12 hours ago, Bazle said:

For me, it is very worrying that the bad pollution in Pattaya does NOT seem to be arising from sugar cane burning, and I have not read a plausible explanation of the culprit.

I fear that it is just general pollution from vehicle exhaust, factories, construction/deconstruction etc., and so will be very difficult to tackle.

I found a post from earlier in the year with pictures of us on a hash trail making our way through area still burning. What's disturbing about these fires, besides the pollution they generate, is someone sets them and then disappears from the scene. So they burn unchecked.

 

[blue_flag]

[sailingbill]

To me the remarkable thing is dramatic improvement can be made in air quality and general well being. When i was a young kid the sides of main roads and interstate highways were littered with a foot of trash. Then laws enacted and enforced, an ad campaign had an American Indian standing by a road side, tear running down his face looking at the mess.  Private companies formed adopt a highway where they cleaned portions.

At one point we had rivers catching fire. The Clean Air act of 50 years seems to have worked. Particulate matter has been reduced by 40-70%, lead reduction 90%.    Not at all suggesting "Global Warming " can be dealt with by a single country, region or Greta's whining, but Thailand seems to be able to reverse its current trend of air pollution if there was a genuine commitment.  But ill add the obvious caveat before someone else does. TIT.

[blue_flag]

What a difference a day makes.

[Odense]

17 hours ago, sailingbill said:

To me the remarkable thing is dramatic improvement can be made in air quality and general well being. When i was a young kid the sides of main roads and interstate highways were littered with a foot of trash. Then laws enacted and enforced, an ad campaign had an American Indian standing by a road side, tear running down his face looking at the mess.  Private companies formed adopt a highway where they cleaned portions.

At one point we had rivers catching fire. The Clean Air act of 50 years seems to have worked. Particulate matter has been reduced by 40-70%, lead reduction 90%.    Not at all suggesting "Global Warming " can be dealt with by a single country, region or Greta's whining, but Thailand seems to be able to reverse its current trend of air pollution if there was a genuine commitment.  But ill add the obvious caveat before someone else does. TIT.

It is a task of another magnitude to stop using fossil fuels.
Let us hope we succeed in that task as our ancestors succeeded in big transformations before.
 

[jacko]

22 hours ago, sailingbill said:

Thailand seems to be able to reverse its current trend of air pollution if there was a genuine commitment.  But ill add the obvious caveat before someone else does.

They need to get a few neighboring countries to come along too, particularly for the situation in the North. As mentioned earlier,  I thought living on the coast gave us a better chance here in Patts, but not the case.  Traffic is heavy where I normally am, North of town, but recently I was on the other side doing Extension/Visa stuff and realized, there, they have quite an issue too. 

Edited December 14, 2023 by jacko

[blue_flag]

Nice clear view this morning.

[blue_flag]

Taken this morning.

 

[blue_flag]

These were taken this morning around 0830.  No post processing done.

Edited January 7, 2024 by blue_flag

[blue_flag]

[Bazle]

https://www.facebook.com/nbtworld

NNT- National News Bureau of Thailand 

The Pollution Control Department (PCD) has issued an urgent warning regarding the hazardous levels of PM 2.5 particulate matter in the air, impacting 20 provinces across Thailand. The alert calls for immediate action to address and mitigate the severe air quality crisis that poses significant health risks to millions of residents. The provinces on high alert include major urban centers such as Bangkok, Pathum Thani, and Nonthaburi, as well as key industrial regions like Samut Prakan and Samut Sakhon.

 

In a statement, the PCD has outlined a series of steps that need to be taken to combat the escalating air pollution levels. These measures include stringent control of industrial emissions, enhancement of traffic management to reduce vehicular pollution, and an increase in public awareness campaigns. The agency also highlighted the importance of cooperation from both the public and private sectors in tackling this environmental challenge.

 

The government’s response to this crisis has been swift, with local authorities being mobilized to enforce pollution control measures. Special attention is being given to areas with historically high levels of air pollution, such as Bangkok and its surrounding provinces. The administration is also promoting alternative and cleaner forms of transportation, along with stricter checks on vehicles contributing to air pollution.

 

[blue_flag]

First full day back from a week in Singapore.  Visibility this morning does not appear good.

 

Edited January 18, 2024 by blue_flag

[forcebwithu]

^^^
Definitely not a good day here.