Air Pollution
SCAM – Thailand’s PM2.5 micron smoke screen
It’s cars, it’s the polluting buses, it’s people burning too many incense sticks. Every year it’s the same culprits in Bangkok, people driving their cars too much, polluting factories and old buses belching black smoke. All those things contribute to city pollution but are far from the main problem.
So the government, reactive as usual, rolls out its PR machine and invites the media to take photos of water cannons blasting thousands of litres of valuable water into the sky, doing precisely NOTHING to address the air pollution problem, beyond a short-term, extremely local solution. Very local indeed, and probably pleasing the assembled press as they enjoy a bit of overspray cooling them down. For the bigger air pollution problem, no help at all.
Even today the Bangkok media scrum was summoned to Suvarnabhumi Airport to get the story of the local airport solution where they’ve deployed water cannons that blast 144,000 litres of water per day about 50 metres into the air above the one of the airport’s ring roads.
“The trucks will be deployed at 10am, 11am, 1.30pm and 2.30pm at the duty-free zone and along the Suvarnabhumi 2 Road, as these areas have high numbers of trucks and other vehicles passing through during weekdays.”
We kid you not, there appears to some officials who actually think this grotesque waste of water is achieving something… anything, beyond a woefully useless media stunt.
“The airport has enforced pollution control regulations on all public vehicles running in theairport areas, which include taxis, shuttle buses, public buses, public vans and coaches. These vehicles were told to turn off the engine while waiting for passengers and make sure to have their vehicle condition checked regularly.”
All this obfuscation from officials and the government is completely ignoring the PM2.5 micron “elephant in the room”. Indeed, the oft-used “PM2.5 micron” word salad is just another way of confusing the public and shifting the narrative.
It’s smoke, smog, haze, air pollution. And most of it is coming from fires deliberately lit by farmers who are providing crops for Thai multi-nationals, mostly corn, rice and sugar. The cheapest way to clear the land for the next crop is burning it to the ground. The machinery to complete that task without burning is expensive. Of course it’s all about cutting costs, so lighting a fire and sending smoke into Thailand’s skies is much easier… f**k the environment and the millions of people that are affected by the months of smoke-filled air.
Even the Pollution Control Department (an oxymoron indeed!) and its daily missives about the air pollution problem completely avoid any discussion about the forest and plantation fires, burning mainly in central and northern Thailand, and over the border in Myanmar. The northerly and north-easterly airstream at this time of the year casually wafts the offending smoke south, affecting the capital and its 10 million residents.
Here’s today’s active fires in and around Thailand, clearly identified by NASA satellites with constant updates. You can see active fires in Cambodia, Vietnam and Myanmar, but there is a big concentration in central, northern and north-eastern Thailand.
There’s the evidence of where the smoke is coming from. Check out the link HERE. Pollution Control Department officials are able to click on the link too.
Or let’s go to the Air Visual map which lists the air quality around the country (or the world) any time of the day. It also lists some of the key fires burning at the time.
The information from Air Visual clearly shows the link between areas of poor air quality and the fires that are burning, also linked to the direction of the wind.
Bangkok’s slightly improved air quality readings today have nothing to do with the water cannons blasting water into the sky at Suvarnabhumi and everything to do with changed, favourable wind conditions. If the problem was ‘traffic’ then Bangkok, a city of some 10 million people, would always have worse air quality than all the provincial air quality measurement stations.
At some stage the Thai government and public servants will be forced to bite the bullet and admit that the annual pollution problem is what it is – a cover up to protect large and powerful multi-nationals and their agricultural pursuits.
Now that Thai celebrities and some concerned residents are starting to see through the mist and fog of the misleading PR, and posting these air quality maps, their own experiences, and lack of confidence in the officials to address the problem, there is hope that public shaming might finally bring about some honesty and long-term measures to face the PM2.5 micron elephant in the room.
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59 areas in Bangkok are seeing excessive PM 2.5 dust ratings today as air quality is being described as moderate to poor. Din Daeng Road is being identified as the most polluted, according to the air4thai website of the Pollution Control Department. The amount of PM 2.5 dust is being measured at between 39 and 113 microns.
Din Daeng is also joining Bang Na-Trat highway in Bang Na district, Lat Phrao district and Sukhapibaan 5 Road in Sai Mai district in featuring PM10 dust in the atmosphere that is measuring between 54 and 155 microns.
Read more about Bangkok’s pollution today, and its causes, HERE.
The 59 areas that are considered polluted today are:
Hirunrujee sub-district, Thon Buri district
Kanchanapisek Road in Bang Khun Thian district
Bang Na sub-district
Song Khanong sub-district in Phra Pradaeng district
Din Daeng sub-district, Din Daeng district
Talat Kwan sub-district in Muang district of Nonthaburi
Omnoi sub-district in Krathumban district of Samut Sakhon
Paknam sub-district in Muang district of Samut Prakan
Bang Sao Thong sub-district
Khlong 1 sub-district in Khlong Luang district of Pathum Thani
Rama 4 Road in Pathumwan district
Intharapitak Road in Thon Buri district
Lat Phrao Road in Wang Thong Lang district
Din Daeng Road in Din Daeng district
Khlong Goom sub-district
Khlong Sam Wa district
Chom Thong district
Charunsanitwong Road in Bang Phlad district
Rama 2 Road in Bang Khun Thian district
Vibhavadi Rangsit highway in Din Daeng district
Sukhumvit Road in Phra Khanong district
Ratburana Road in Ratburana district
Rama 5 Road in Dusit district
Trimitr Road at Wongwian Odeon, Samphanthawong district
Rama 6 Road in Phya Thai district
Lat Phrao Road at Soi Lat Phrao 95 in Wang Thong Lang district
Rama 4 Road in front of Sam Yan Mitrtown, Pathumwan district
Narathiwat Road in Bang Rak district
Thung Wat Don sub-district
Rama 3-Charoen Krung Road in Bang Khor Laem district
Sukhumvit Road Soi 63 in Wattana district
Pattanakarn Road in Suan Luang district
Bang Na-Trat highway in Bang Na district
Pahonyothin Road at Kasetsart intersection, Chatuchak district
Don Mueang district
Sukhapibaan 5 Road in Sai Mai district
Nawamin Road in Bang Kapi district
Suan Sayam-Raminthra intersection in Kanna Yao district
Lat Krabang Road in Lat Krabang district
Seehaburanakit Road in Min Buri district
Liab Waree Road in Nong Chok district
Srinakharin Road in Prawet district
Ratchadapisek-Tha Phra Road in Thon Buri district
Charoen Nakhon Road in Khlong San district
Tha Phra intersection, Bangkok Yai district
Soi Nikhom Rodfai Thon Buri in Bangkok Noi district
Buddha Monthon 1 Road in Taling Chan district
Thawee Wattana Road in Thawee Wattana district
Aekkachai Road in Bang Bon district
Pracha-uthit Road in Thung Khru district
Samsen Road in Phra Nakhon district
Huay Khwang district
Khlong Toey sub-district
Ban Sue sub-district
Lat Phrao district
Thung Song Hong sub-district
Pahonyothin Road in Bang Khen district
Saphan Soong district
SOURCE: Thai PBS World
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Thailand is burning. The burning off of harvested crop plantations is lighting up the agricultural areas. The truth is starkly revealed in the live NASA satellite feeds which track the fires around the world.
CHART: Fires in the past 10 days around parts of Thailand – Firms.Modaps
Concentrations of the current fires can be seen in Central Thailand, north of Bangkok, parts of Isaan, north east of Bangkok, and around Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand. Notably the concentration of fires in northern Cambodia and across the north-western border in Myanmar, is also causing plenty of problems as the foreign smoke drifts across the borders. No matter what Thai officials do to enforce the rice, sugar and corn plantation burn-offs, there is little they can do about the haze drifting across the borders.
Bangkok, so close to clusters of fires, is in for a bad air pollution day anytime the light winds of the start of the year blow from the north or the east. The lack of rain adds to the problem, the annual problem, that engulfs Thailand’s capital during days between December and April, with the worst month, statistically, being March.
The alternative method of preparing for the next harvest, mechanical removal of the refuse and waste after harvesting, is both unpopular in Thailand and economically unviable for the small farmers whose margins remain thin with the multi-national buyers of their produce pushing for lower and lower prices every year.
In Chiang Mai, from January to the end of March, the locals even call it the ‘burning season’. Coupled with the hot season, the farmers in northern Thailand burn their fields to prepare land for the next harvest and also to get rid of biowastes like corn that can’t be sold in the market. It’s officially illegal to do the burn offs but the lack of enforcement leaves the problem unresolved and the smog and haze remain as predictable as the annual wet season.
Chiang Mai also has a local geographic problem which exacerbates the bad smoke pollution. The city is in a valley, surrounded by hills, trapping in the smoke and helping block any breezes that could otherwise blow it away.
For today, Bangkok’s air pollution is better than the past two days but still registering as ‘unhealthy for sensitive groups’ with city readings mostly between 140 – 170. Parts of the city, mostly south-east and south west, were registering readings above 300 in the past few days.
SOURCE: IQair.com
Watch this video for some more information about Bangkok’s smog…
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Air quality around Bangkok this morning is awful. Partly due to the lack of wind to blow the smog out of the area. To the south of Bangkok, Samut Prakan and Samut Sakhon, the air quality is even worse with visibility on the ground cut to less than a kilometre. You would be well advised to reduce you activities outside on a day of high air pollution in the capital. The rating by airvisual.com is ‘unhealthy’.
Readings around the inner city vary between 190 – 220. Areas to the east, including around Suvarnabhumi Airport, are higher.
A lot of the smog and smoke is flowing down from the north and north east where plantation fires rage, mostly unenforced, this time of the year, from December to May. Farmers have been told, repeatedly, to avoid buying off the waste after harvests of corn, rice and sugar cane but officials have been disinclined to enforce the laws. Many of the farmers have long-term contracts with some of Thailand’s leading agri-business conglomerates.
Bangkok and the central region can expect many more months, especially as the temperatures rise throughout February, March and April and the winds remain low as the north-easterly monsoon weakens.
PHOTO: View across the Bangkok skyline from Sathorn this morning.
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Kevin
Friday, December 18, 2020 at 12:50 pm
Agricultural fires and brick kilns are a huge problem. They make living in Thailand very uncomfortable for many foreigners like myself. But you cannot write an article about PM 2.5 and leave out cross-border contamination from China, India, and Indonesia who are 3 of the 4 largest polluters on the planet. PM 2.5 does not recognize sovereign borders and right now much of what we are experiencing is coming from China, it is not domestic.