Environment News
Thailand environment news, climate change, sustainability, and natural disasters—stay updated on eco-initiatives, biodiversity conservation, and renewable energy efforts. Get the latest from The Thaiger, your trusted source for environmental news in Thailand.
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Sponsored How much does it cost to see a doctor in Thailand?
Thailand is known for its high-quality yet affordable healthcare system, but how much does it really cost to see a doctor? As an expat, this question might be crucial for budgeting your health needs. The answer depends on whether you...
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“Bangkok’s tap water is safe for cooking” – Metropolitan Waterworks
When people travel to Thailand they’re always warned not to drink the tap water. Or cook with it. But improved sanitation over the past few decades has now improved the quality of tap water around parts of the country, especially in the capital. Now the Metropolitan Waterworks Authority say that it is safe to use tap water to cook rice.…
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Unemployed elephants in Thailand’s north trek home
The Covid-19 crisis has affected the livelihoods of countless millions of Thais… not all of them human. Elephant camps in Chiang Mai, and elsewhere in Thailand’s north, have been devastated by the drop in tourism, forcing some to close and having to leave their elephants without food to survive. More than 100 are now marching up to 150 kilometres back…
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Blacktipped reef sharks return to Koh Hong, Krabi – VIDEO
Yesterday morning, while Than Bok Khorani National Park staff were checking the area, they came across dozens of Blacktipped reef sharks swimming and feeding along the shores of Koh Hong in Krabi province. They reported that there could be a group up up to 50 Blacktipped reef sharks, with a body length of almost 1 metre. They were chasing after…
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Committee votes to ban harmful pesticides from June 1
The National Hazardous Substances Committee has voted to push ahead with the ban on two pesticides, effective June 1. The products are paraquat and chlorpyrifos, 2 of 3 toxic weed killers that have come under scrutiny. It was agreed to allow the controlled use of glyphosate, the third chemical, until the end of November this year. The vote comes following…
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Government details symptoms in bid to stop the spread of African Horse Sickness
An outbreak of African Horse Sickness, also known as African Plague, has now killed hundreds of horses in Thailand. The Government Gazette has now detailed the symptoms of AHS, after the contagion was first detected on March 25. First found in Nakhon Ratchasima, the disease has now spread via mosquitoes, gnats and gadflies to other parts of the country, killing…
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200 baby turtles born at beach in front of Banyan Tree Samui
The birth of more than 200 green turtles has brought some much-needed joy to staff at one of Thailand’s top hotels on Koh Samui. Between April 4 and 24, three nests hatched on the secluded beach at Banyan Tree Samui resort, and a total of around 200 baby turtles emerged under the watchful gaze of the hotel’s resident marine biologist,…
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Thai Health Minister pushes ahead with ban on harmful pesticides
Taking a break from handing out face masks and berating “dirty farang”, Thailand’s Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul confirmed yesterday that the proposed ban on three hazardous pesticides will go ahead as scheduled on June 1. According to a Nation Thailand report, Minister Anutin refused to entertain proposals from both the Industry Minister Suriya Juangroongruangkit and the Chairman of the…
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Bangkok authorities under fire for over-zealous tree pruning
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration has come in for some flak after some over-enthusiastic pruning of the city’s trees. Some of the city’s green shade was cut back to bare, ugly stumps. A report in the Bangkok Post says trees along Witthayu Road, near the city’s famed Lumpini Park, have been chopped down to their lower trucks. A similar fate has…
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Bangkok, before and after. A birds-eye view.
Content creator Manit Monsur, a certified drone pilot, has taken to the skies of Bangkok giving us a unique insight into the sights, sounds and daily life of the Big Mango, before and now. Travel restrictions and business closures have severely impacted on the city’s ability to function. One of the biggest changes, he notes, is the clear skies above…
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Plans to renew northern forests destroyed in recent fires
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, along with The Royal Forest Department says they have conducted plans to revive the northern forests which have been destroyed by this year’s burning season and other forest fires. But some good news, the Royal Forest Department says the number of hotspots detected in the North has fallen to 28. The fewer hotspots,…
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Chiang Mai still struggling for some fresh air
Chiang Mai is suffering yet another day of poor air quality index, according to aqicn.org. And whilst the air quality is bad, it’s still a lot better than it was a month or so ago when the readings zoomed up to 300-400, and somedays, even higher. aqicn.org data reports that Chiang Mai’s air quality index had a PM2.5 level of…
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Air pollution in Bangkok falls to lowest level in 2020
Bangkok recorded the lowest air quality index in 2020 today, according to aqicn.org. The website data show that Bangkok air quality index (AQI) had a PM2.5 level of only 53 micrograms per cubic metre (μg/m3) on average. The AQI is a standard that indicates the level of air pollution. 100 AQI is considered ‘moderate’. The suburbs with the lowest PM2.5…
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UPDATE: Phuket Zoo animals left abandoned and starving – VIDEO
UPDATE: Edwin Wiek, Founder at People & Animals Thailand, has made this announcement relating to the tigers at the Phuket Zoo… There are some fundraisers ongoing on the net to help the tigers at PHUKET ZOO that are in need of help. Please be informed that these fundraising campaigns are set up by private people who are not owners of…
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‘Ranger’ the civet and friends saved from Chiang Mai forest fires
Twenty wild animals including ‘Ranger’ the palm civet, hawks, yellow throated martens, gibbons and leopards, have been rescued from forest fires in Thailand’s northern province of Chiang Mai. The wildlife conservation department says that although some of the animals have been injured in forest fires, they are all now safe and under the care of the animal clinic. They estimate…
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Thailand facing double whammy – Covid-19 and worsening seasonal drought
The Office of the National Water Resources says up to 6,255 villages in 24 provinces have already been declared as drought-affected areas, while national dams and reservoirs are only at an average of 49% capacity (only 26% of that water is usable.) It has been predicted that the drought could last until at least July. Deputy PM Prawit Wongsuwon says…
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Bangkok temple develops hygienic face mask from recycled plastics
During the nationwide closure of temples and festivities during the Songkran holiday this week, some are taking the opportunity to improve hygienic practices. To help protect members of the temple and the community from contracting Coronavirus, the Abbot from Chak Daeng temple, on the banks of the Chao Phraya just south of Bangkok, has been busy crafting recycled plastics into face…
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Chon Buri struggles with severe drought
As Thailand faces its worst drought in 40 years, officials in Chon Buri met yesterday to discuss a solution regarding lack of water and low water pressure in the province’s Sattahip district, south of Pattaya, also the home to a naval base. Responding to many recent complaints, Sathira Pueakprapan, a member of the council in Chonburi, told reporters that Sattahip…
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Chiang Mai firefighters chased up a tree by wild elephants
Firefighters in Thailand’s North were chased up a tree by a herd of elephants yesterday. The group were on patrol searching for fires in Chiang Mai province’s Omkoi district. The men told reporters they were patrolling for fires when they ran across a small herd of wild elephants. Fearing for their safety, the fled up a nearby tree and stayed…
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Thailand’s reservoirs and dams reaching critically low levels
The start of the annual wet season isn’t far away, maybe this month, but Thailand’s water sources are running on empty. The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation reported today, that Thailand has seen a large drop of useable water in dams and reservoirs by an average of 30% of their capacity, due to the lack of rain in the…
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Lockdowns, closures mean cleaner air in European cities
Lockdowns, travel restrictions and factory closures due to the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic are having some unexpected positive consequences. Satellite images show that cities around Europe, including Brussels, Paris, Madrid, Milan and Frankfurt, are showing a huge reduction in air pollution average levels of noxious nitrogen dioxide over compared with the same period last year. New images, including heat maps, released…
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Potential catastrophe facing Thailand’s elephant camps
Elephant Nature Park in Chiang Mai, along with many other camps in Thailand, have been forced to close their doors due to the current Coronavirus situation in Thailand. Apart from resulting in hardship for the elephants, it will seriously hurt Thailand’s tourism industry in the future if no support is forthcoming soon. And whilst we’re hunkering down in our homes…
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Chiang Mai smog reaches dangerous levels – 12 x ‘safe’ levels
As if the northern city doesn’t have enough to worry about with the coronavirus and scorching daily temperatures, residents are still having to face choking smoke and smog from, mostly, deliberately lit forest fires in the region. PM2.5 levels in some areas soared up to 592 micrograms per cubic metre yesterday, more than ten times the ‘safe’ level. This morning…
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Forest fire hikes up PM2.5 in Chiang Mai
Yesterday some 200 firefighters were struggling on a Chiang Mai mountain slope to extinguish a forest fire that was pouring more hazardous PM2.5 smoke particles into the skies and, eventually, into the lungs of northern Thailand residents. And smoke from the forest and plantation fires, the vast majority deliberately lit, ends up in the capital when the winds are blowing…
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7 swim to Koh Samui to raise marine ecosystem awareness
7 swimmers, including actor and singer Phakhin Khamwilaisak, also know as “Tono”, have begun an 82 kilometre ocean swim for over 18 days to increase public awareness of the environment and the need to reserve Thailand’s marine ecosystem. They are also raising money to buy equipment for hospitals treating rare marine animals. The campaign hopes to raise the profile of…
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Smoke and mirrors, northern Thailand’s annual smog problem
Congratulations Chiang Mai. Again you are the world’s Number One. Sadly, you’re the number one in the world’s worst air pollution, again. The third time in this week alone. And, sadly, because the problem is almost completely avoidable, but not easily solved. Chiang Mai city has a PM2.5 micron reading this morning of 282, whilst just north of the city…
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Gold mining company found guilty for avoiding environmental report
Former director-general of the Department of Primary Industries and Mines Somkiat Phuthongchaiyarit, has been found guilty of colluding with five other parties for trying to avoid the mandatory environmental impact assessment (EIA). Secretary-general Worawit Sukboon of The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) says… “All 6 members had a hand in the unlawful approval of a request by Akara Mining Company (or…
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Chiang Mai gets world podium positions two days in a row, for air pollution
Hot AND polluted. Chiang Mai scored the top position again as the most air polluted city in the world yesterday, according to AirVisual.com. Today it has lost the top spot, but only just. Today’s temperature will again soar close to 40C with the rest of the week continuing to sizzle with almost no respite from the wind (forecast below). Saturday’s…
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Major corporations join the fight against plastics
by Ghislaine Bovy Reduce. Re-use. Recycle. The public is now fully aware of the gigantic plastic pollution issue. They know it’s time to act and act now. Many of us have already “gone” into using reusable plastic bags, refillable bottles and buy fruits and vegetables in bulk instead of in individual plastic bags, small shops don’t give you a plastic…
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Chiang Mai has the world’s worst air quality for second straight day
Virus or no, you may want to wear a mask if you’re in Chiang Mai today; as of 1:36pm, Airvisual.com has rated air quality there the worst in the world for a second day. Yangon, Kathmandu and Mumbai were close behind. The website showed Chiang Mai’s average pollution at 181, (down from 193 yesterday) meaning particulate matter less than 2.5…
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Smoke from plantation fires continues to choke central and northern Thailand
Smoke from fires, mostly deliberately lit, continue to choke sections of central and northern Thailand today. Light winds are not blowing away the smog and haze produced by the smoke, particularly in the north where Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai have readings today from ‘unhealthy’ too ‘very unhealthy’ – in a range from 170 up to 240 (particles of PM2.5…
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