Recently a reader asked if it will be safe by 30th April for a person with breathing difficulties to visit Chiang Mai?

Maize Waste Mountain

As of  today 21st April when there there was a brief rain shower int the early morning  the government website reports that PM10 pollution readings remain high but are now below the critical level of 120 microgrammes/m3, unlike neighboring Chiang Rai and Mae Hong Son provinces.

However the outlook for the coming week is the low probability of rain in the next two days and then hot sunny weather for the remainder.

Now add to this the presence of huge and growing stock piles of corn waste as in the picture above from Rong Kwang district in Phrae, which after 30th April may be burnt without government prosecution.

It would appear there is a possibility a return to high pollution levels if farmers are eager to dispose of their mountains of waste before heavy rain arrives. Heavy rain in the last days of April can neither be predicted at this stage nor ruled out.

Does the government have the ability to extend the burning ban, and if so how the maize waste be managed?