“An additional problem is that national borders get in the way, with man-made burn-offs also occurring in Burma’s Shan State and in Laos,” says your editorial, “Burning issue plagues North” on March 29.

Having recently returned from a 1,500km motorcycle trip in northern Laos, half of it off road on dirt tracks in the mountains, I can assure you the toxic soup that passes for air in Chiang Mai is an entirely Thai-made problem.

I did not see so much as a wisp of smoke in northern Laos or along the Burmese border. The air is clear and there is no haze until one is south of Chiang Rai.

As someone who lived and worked in Chiang Mai for six years before moving to Bangkok for the vastly improved air quality (oh yes), I assure you there is nothing even remotely encouraging in the health and forestry authorities’ promised campaign to urge villagers not to burn off forests, rubbish or grass. We hear the same hot air from them every year.

Villagers continue their nightly burning of leaves and plastic, as local government officials and racketeers continue to pocket the cash from refuse contracts, ensuring that the rubbish is dumped in fields and burnt instead of going into landfill sites.

Meanwhile, thousands of heavily polluting empty songtaews continue to drive around all day, and the dust from the current frenzy of construction fills the air.

The result is that Chiang Mai has the highest rates of lung disease in the country. No amount of spineless local councillors commissioning yet another report into the cause of air pollution, analysing another air sample, waffling on about traditional lifestyles, handing out masks or pointing a barely visible finger through the smog toward Laos or Burma is going to solve the problem.

The solutions are clear, easily identified and easily solved. Start by getting rid of the incompetent buffoons who have mismanaged Chiang Mai for the past decade.

I do not know how anyone can reside in Chiang Mai today. The putrid air makes it one of the most unliveable cities in Thailand. I hung on until bronchitis brought on by nightly burning of waste in our village forced my reluctant retreat.

With its rich culture, beautiful scenery and easy-going people, Chiang Mai had so much going for it.

Unfortunately, self-interest, apathy and ignorance have taken a heavy toll on the city. That’s a shame, because I miss it desperately and would love to move back, but not until I can do so without wheezing.

Author: Mick Shippen

HM wants daily reports on situation in North

His Majesty the King has voiced concern over the haze situation in the North as the air quality in several northern provinces is poised to reach danger levels.

Amnat Decha, caretaker of the Phuping Palace in Chiang Mai, said yesterday that His Majesty had instructed that reports on the haze situation in the northernmost provinces be sent to the Royal Household Bureau every day.

If the situation does not improve, the King would order artificial rain-making to help relieve air pollution in the haze-hit provinces, said Mr Amnat.

In a bid to fight the haze, the Public Health Ministry is to send 200,000 face masks to the areas to protect people from air pollution caused by dust particles smaller than 10 microns in diameter, also known as PM10, that come with the haze, said Public Health Minister Chaiya Sasomsab.

Pollution Control Department chief Supat Wangwongwatana said heavy dust in northern provinces is closely related to “hot spots” found in the country and also in neighbouring countries, referring to areas at risk of forest fires.

“We have found that the number of hot spots in Indochina was getting high on March 22 with 952, and gradually dropped to 575 and only 271 on March 24. Moreover, we have made strong and effective efforts to clear and control hot spots, which helps improve the situation,” he said.

However, higher humidity in the air should minimise the dust’s impact.

Spokesman for the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry Pichet Wangtepanukhor said the ministry has been working closely with the Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry to deal with the problem, especially fire prevention in paddy fields. However, rain was arriving in many areas and this has helped to reduce the dust problem.

Among the haze-affected provinces, Mae Hong Son has been hardest hit due to wildfires.

The level of dust in the province was yesterday measured at 134 microgrammes per cubic metre, higher than the safe level of 120 microgrammes per cu m, according to the Pollution Control Department.

At the same time, the province’s air quality level was measured at 106 on the Air Quality Index, which is higher than the safety level of 100.

Outside Mae Hong Son town, wildfires could be seen raging upon high mountains at night, especially in Ban Nam Kad and Ban Huai Phung.

Mae Hong Son deputy governor Wanchai Sutthiworachai said forest fires had broken out frequently this summer.

The latest was on Monday night, when a fire broke out in a public park in Muang district and more than 60 provincial authorities in the province spent over two hours putting out the fire.

Triroj Nawamarat, manager of Thai Airways International office in Mae Hong Son, said THAI had had to cancel a flight scheduled to land at Mae Hong Son airport at 11am yesterday due to poor visibility at the airport, which was measured at 1,200 metres, far below the safe visibility level for commercial aircraft of between 3,000 and 3,500 metres.

The chief of the meteorological office in Mae Hong Son, Thada Sattha, said haze in the northern province was mostly caused by forest burning in Pai, Pang Ma Pha and Muang districts.

However, in Chiang Mai, deputy governor Wiboon Sanguanphong insisted the air conditions in the province were still far from hazardous and that the haze has not yet driven tourists away.

He believed rain would help ease the dust level in Chiang Mai’s air within 14 days.

The deputy governor added that wildfires in Chiang Mai recently broke out in Hot, Mae Chaem and Omkoi districts where corn farmers usually burnt their fields after the harvest season.

Nevertheless, adviser to the Association of Chiang Mai Tourism and Hotel Businesses Bunlert Buranupakorn said advance bookings for hotels in Chiang Mai this and next month have dropped by 20%.

He believed this was due to tourists’ concern over their health and environmental conditions in Chiang Mai.

Written by: Cheewin Sattha, Theerawat Khamthita & Apinya Wipatayotin

Read the full story

Wednesday’s Post quotes Chiang Mai’s Vice Governor indicating pollution levels of PM 10 cancer causing particles in Chiang Mai, resulting from forest burning, were not of concern. Readings taken Tuesday at a school in the centre of town at 86 microgrammes per cubic metre of air seem to confirm this.

Readers wondering why “safe” pollution levels seem to apply in Chiang Mai, while in neighboring Mae Hong Sorn province the air is carcinogenic, might like to know that on Monday afternoon a violent ,smog clearing, thunderstorm with torrential rain and gale force winds hit just 10 kilometres north of Chiang Mai, town allowing blue sky to appear.

Cloud Seeding

1. Aircraft or artillery spray chemicals (often silver iodide or dry ice) into clouds to encourage tiny vapour droplets to coalesce
2. Droplets of supercooled water (liquid below freezing) coalesce into snow and melt as they fall
3. Heat released as the droplets freeze boosts updrafts, which pull more moist air into the cloud

[Taken from the following BBC article - Thai king aims high over drought]

The day before, a Sunday morning, when our normally well informed Vice Governor may not have been on duty, the government liason officer on the smoke pollution problem informed a citizens meeting that the PM 10 level was 140, 20 above the “safe” level. Later that day three fires were set on nearby Doi Suthep and two helicopters worked for two hours to douse the flames, the smoke from the blaze presumably worsening the problem.

By Wednesday two days after the rain, visibility and presumably pollution levels, had returned to their normal toxic levels.

On Tuesday, during a brief trip north to Fang I saw blackened roadsides and fires burning along the Ping River Gorge and on Doi Luang Chang Dao, just as they had the previous week, but no sign of red shirted firemen or helicopters fighting fires there.

Now it is suggested that artificial rain making may ease the problem. Perhaps our officials need to apply a bit of statistical accuracy in their reporting to higher authority. If they do so they will perhaps admit that rain making, when it works at all, works to move precipitation a few minutes of longitude, robbing say Tak to pay Chiang Mai.

Forest fire brings great public health and environmental costs and if we are to take it seriously we need to get our heads out of the clouds and many feet on the ground where the arsonists are at work.

Today Wednesday 12th March 2008 the I.C.C.M general meeting agreed on the following dates for meetings. Please attend if you are able.

I.C.C.M Meeting date – FIRE:
4:00 pm Friday 14th March @ 103 Condo, Sukassem Rd (off Nimmanheamin Rd, Tambon Suthep, Amphoe Muang, Chiang Mai) Floor 9
R.S.V.P. Ron Bator

I.C.C.M Meeting date – VEGETATION:
4:00 pm Wednesday 19th March @ 103 Condo,Floor 11
R.S.V.P. Ricky Ward

Thanks Ricky

International Citizens of Chiang Mai (ICCM)
Minutes of Meeting held at the Doi Suthep Study Centre, Huey Keow Rd., 12th March 2008
Meeting commenced 4.20 pm Adrian in the Chair.

Apologies: Dave Arthur, Tommy, Boong, Nikom

Present: Wasan,John Hobday, Alexander, Marty, Klaus, Bill Tuffin (Track of the Tiger), John Richard (retired USA), Paul Fihn (Los Angeles), Winnie Tan (USA), Alan Bull (UK), Barn (Chiang Mai Friends Group),Op, Ric Richardson, Kook, Nopbuan (Social Science Fac CMU).

Minutes of February meeting where Jere Locke spoke not presented.

Agenda:

• 1. Working Groups
• Report
• 2. Structure of ICCM
• 1.1 – Education
  Group has had only one meeting. The chairman and John Hobday who chaired the Education Group discussed the issue of cooperation with local NGO’s, John reporting that this seemed too difficult at present. The discussion broadened to that of the role of ICCM raising possibilities that the focus be networking, advocacy or otherwise. No motion was put.
• 1.2 – Smoke & Fire
  An interest group (Adrian, Klaus, John H & Wasan) has formed concentrating on management of the eastern face of Doi Suthep adjacent to Ban Chang Kien. It plans, with the Assistance of 2 CMU students, to study 6 watersheds and the use made of the area by forest product collectors, water users and businesses. A stake-holders meeting is proposed in 2 months time.
  Alexander announced he was advanced in developing a village (72 households) waste management and rubbish burning proposal I n Mae Rim.
  The meeting resolved that the Smoke & Fire group meet on Friday 15th March.
• 1.3 – Urban & Climate change
  Has met only once in January resolving to meet again once a briefing on planning for Chiang Mai could be arranged. Chiang Mai municipality (Tessaban Nakorn Ping Chiang Mai) covers 46 sq.km. but urban development extends beyond this area. Dr Wasan advocated we concentrate our work in one “model” Tessaban and discussions with Tessaban Chiang Kian were well advanced. A Land Use Plan has been prepared by the Ministry of Interior not the Tessaban.
  The meeting resolved to invite the Planning Director and an academic to address the next general meeting. Dr Wasan offered to arrange this.
• 1.4 The Vegetation Group
  Planned to meet at Samoeng at the invitation of the local Wat but monks there were ordered to other activities and a small meeting was held in Chiang Mai.
• 2. The time for the meeting having expired the question of the structure of ICCM was deferred. Adrian offered to write a proposal (see below). Meeting adjourned to 16th/21st April.

Ideas for Our Group – by Adrian Peiper

1. Maintaining a web site presenting the mission, the activities of the group and the way to register as a member.
2. Distributing an electronic newsletter to the members every three months, in which they can report their activities related to the environment of Chiangmai.

The “executive committee”

There will be the following functions:

1. A coordinator and an assistant coordinator. It is their task to coordinate between the group and invited speakers or guests, the local administration, universities, NGOs and civic groups. They should be Thais or bilingual foreigners with long experience in Chiangmai. At the moment this function is being taken care of by Dr Wasan. There should be somebody to take care of his function when he is not present or does not have enough time.
2. A secretariat consisting of three persons.
• One person takes care of the management of internal communications by email, mainly announcing the date, place and agenda of the general meeting and the meetings of the subgroups.
• One person takes care of making and maintaining the web site.
• One person collects information for the quarterly newsletter, makes the newsletter and sends it around to the members by email.
• These three persons help or replace each other when necessary.
3. Three persons who, in turn, act as chair of the general meeting.
4. A “press officer” for the Thai press and one for the English language press. It is their task to write articles about information, opinions and decisions coming out of the general meetings and about activities reported in the Newsletter and to send them to the press. They also invite journalists to attend the general meetings and press conferences organised by the group.
5. A treasurer. He would be necessary if we need funds to pay for activities of the group.

Funding

Funds may be needed to facilitate activities of the group, such as for room rent, stationary, travel or press conferences. These funds will be raised from the members.

Dear All,

Sorry for the short notice, but just a reminder of the next ICCM meeting.

The meeting room has changed and we will now meet @ the Doi Suthep Nature Study Centre, at the end of Huay Keaw Road, just before the entrance to the zoo. This will take place on Wednesday 12th March – between 4pm and 6pm.

The following is the propose agenda:

1. Reports from working groups on activities, plans and progress.
2. Proposals for making our group more effective and for giving it a more formal and permanent character.
• Function and objectives
• Name of group
• Structure (executive committee, working groups)
• Method of work (meetings, networking, use of media, representation before authorities, links with NGO’s, universities..
• Funding

You are invited to come up with ideas and to consider if you are willing to serve on an executive committee.

The meeting will be chaired by Adrian Pieper.

See you there

Dave Arthurs

It seems the Mayor is scheduled for the Ex-Pat meeting this Saturday 8th March 2008, 10:30-12am at the Orchid Hotel. You probably should arrive earlier. Good time to talk with her about pollution in Chiang Mai.

Jere Lock

Huay Kaew Waterfall

Dear all,

A reminder to all that should you wish to join us tomorrow (4th March 2008), we have sponsored a litter pick at Huay Kaew waterfall in association with Lanna International school.

We will meet at 12:30 and pick litter until about 3:00.

I’m afraid we won’t be able to provide you with anything more than black plastic bags.. but we’d love to see you there..
sorry the reminder is at such short notice.

Dave Arthurs