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  1. #1
    Thailand Expat misskit's Avatar
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    Where burning is a “Way of Life” – Living with Northern Thailand’s Haze



    CHIANG RAI – The popping sounds become louder as we traipse up the mountain. Every few steps, I slide backwards on the ash underfoot, flailing at the charred remains of tall vegetation around. Suddenly, the forest blaze comes into view as a flaming tree on the ridgeline emits a thundering crack.

    Firefighters within our party surge forward. It has been 24 hours since the fire started in the Chiang Rai forest and flames have already scorched 16 ha of land. It was probably started by a hunter to displace wildlife, they say.

    Such fires are one of the causes of choking smog that blankets Thailand’s northern provinces like Chiang Rai during the dry season from February to April every year.

    Another is the burning of agricultural waste, which is considered quicker and cheaper than trucking trash to faraway disposal facilities on this mountainous terrain.

    Most of the smog is caused by highland corn farms near the borders that Thailand shares with Myanmar and Laos.

    Officially there is a 60-day no-burning rule until April 15, but enforcement is difficult because burning is considered a “way of life” here.

    “Even if a fire starts in the forest, the locals usually know who did it,” says Dr Nion Sirimongkonlertkun, a lecturer at Rajamangala University of Technology Lanna. But they would be ostracised by the community if they told on their neighbours.

    According to the firefighters, this same forest in Mae Khao Tom sub-district was set alight last year.

    “If you don’t love nature, you can’t do this work,” says Mr Kasemchai Saenchang, as he takes a break from scraping the undergrowth with a large broom to create a firebreak. “Once, when I was fighting a bushfire, the wind suddenly changed direction. I could barely breathe in the smoke.”

    The 25-year-old man belongs to a forest fire unit called Sua Fai, or “Fire Tigers”. Their equipment appears modest compared to the giant blazes they battle: Rubber fire-beaters, 14-litre strap-on tanks of water, as well as a leaf blower.

    Experts say the situation will not improve until the farmers are introduced to more sustainable crops as well as farming methods.

    Until then, residents in the lowlands would have to grapple with the choking smog, which doctors warn could have longer-term effects.

    This is especially since Thailand sets lower air quality standards than global benchmarks. The Kingdom’s Pollution Control Department classifies air quality unacceptable if the amount of PM10 pollutants in the air exceeds 120 micrograms per cubic metre. The World Health Organisation sets 50mg per cu m as a guideline.

    PM10 particles are those that are 10 micrometres or less in diameter.

    This disparity makes a big difference in what sets off alarms. On March 15, for example, while PM10 levels exceeded 120 mg per cu m in Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Mae Hong Son and Phayao provinces, they also exceeded 50 mg per cu m in Lampang, Nakon Sawan, Nan and Phrae.

    Meanwhile, measurements of PM2.5 – finer particles that can be absorbed into the bloodstream and considered more dangerous to health – are not revealed on its website.

    Current health statistics are a cause for worry: The incidence of tracheal, bronchial and lung cancer in the north is higher than in other regions.

    Between 2010 and 2012, the incidence of these types of cancer among men in the north was 36.6 for every 100,000 persons, compared to the national mean of 22.7, according to data from the National Cancer Institute. Among women, the incidence was 21.5, compared to 10.1. Lamphun province topped the national charts among men with 44.6.

    According to Dr Rungsrit Kanjanavanit, a cardiologist at Chiang Mai University’s Faculty of Medicine, the rate of admission for heart attacks at his institute’s hospital also spikes by 50 per cent during the annual smog season in the north.

    The doctors add, however, that more detailed research would need to be done before the ailments can be directly linked to the smog.

    Where burning is a ?Way of Life? ? Living with Northern Thailand?s Haze | Chiang Rai Times English Language Newspaper

  2. #2
    Thailand Expat misskit's Avatar
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    Wildfire Stopped from Spreading into Phu Chi Fa National Park



    CHIANG RAI – Phu Chi Fa National Park rangers teamed with local villagers in a five-hour battle to prevent a forest fire in Laos spreading across the border into the park on Monday, park chief Sanit Homnan said.

    Mr Sanit said more than 55 staff at the famous national park and villagers from Thoeng and Wiang Kaen districts had fought the forest fire, which treatened to spread across the border to the park.

    The operation began about 4.30pm, when the rangers and villagers were deployed along a one-kilometre stretch to cut a fire break along the border.

    They were able to bring the fire under control a little after 9pm on Monday, and maintained a careful watch throughout the night.

    Wildfire Stopped from Spreading into Phu Chi Fa National Park | Chiang Rai Times English Language Newspaper

  3. #3
    Thailand Expat VocalNeal's Avatar
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    Another is the burning of agricultural waste, which is considered quicker and cheaper than trucking trash to faraway disposal facilities on this mountainous terrain.
    Obviuosly the author(sic) is not a farmer!

    Stubble burning:

    Quickly clears the field and is cheap.
    Kills weeds, including those resistant to herbicide.
    Kills slugs and other pests.
    Can reduce nitrogen tie-up
    The problem arises when seemingly affluent outsiders gentrify and move into agricultural areas and the NIMBY attitude comes into play.

    Still we should probably all stop eating and growing grains anyway

  4. #4
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    Same same!



    Londoners today told the Mayor he has a moral duty to tackle “toxic” air to stop it blighting future generations.

    More than half of adults in the capital also believe air pollution has worsened since Boris Johnson took over as Mayor in 2008, according to a YouGov poll.

    Zac Goldsmith, Tory contender to succeed him, is jointly most trusted — with Green candidate Sian Berry — by 21 per cent of Londoners to improve the city’s air.

    Labour’s Sadiq Khan is third on 17 per cent, while 34 per cent said “don’t know”. The findings come 24 hours after the Standard revealed seven out of 10 mothers in London, and almost as many fathers, worry about their children breathing in dirty air.



  5. #5
    Thailand Expat
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    ^Where does the "toxic air" in London come from these days?

  6. #6
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    According tothe Mayor

    a lot of the pollution in London blows in from the continent!

  7. #7
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    Another reason for the burnings is that a much appreciated mushroom grows only after the fire ... people scratch the soil to unearth the small sprout

    2 years ago it was sold around 2K for 1kg, I haven't checked the prices since we usually get it by ourselves or from relatives ... This small withe mushrooms are not as tasty as I would have thought considering the selling price, no much flavor and chewy...

  8. #8
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    ^are you referring to 'het hop'' ?

  9. #9
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by VocalNeal View Post
    The problem arises when seemingly affluent outsiders gentrify and move into agricultural areas and the NIMBY attitude comes into play.

    Still we should probably all stop eating and growing grains anyway
    The naivety of some people astounds me.

    Chiang Mai has the second-highest lung cancer rates in the world, according to Prof Sumittra Thongprasert from the Medical Ecology Department of Chiang Mai University – and higher than any other region of Thailand. The city’s 139 lung cancer cases per 100,000 population is almost 6 times the world average.

    An academic study, and a separate news report citing an academic expert, both claim that Chiang Mai, despite its vastly smaller population, has a higher number of lung cancer patients than Bangkok.
    Outdoor fires blamed for Chiang Mai, Lamphun air pollution crisis and http://www.chiangmainews.com/indepth/details.php?id=625
    Do you understand the meaning of the word "progress"?

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by VocalNeal View Post
    Another is the burning of agricultural waste, which is considered quicker and cheaper than trucking trash to faraway disposal facilities on this mountainous terrain.
    Obviuosly the author(sic) is not a farmer!

    Stubble burning:

    Quickly clears the field and is cheap.
    Kills weeds, including those resistant to herbicide.
    Kills slugs and other pests.
    Can reduce nitrogen tie-up
    The problem arises when seemingly affluent outsiders gentrify and move into agricultural areas and the NIMBY attitude comes into play.

    Still we should probably all stop eating and growing grains anyway
    Though, there are alternatives for these traditional and conditioned slash-n-burn farmers - requires the promoted education.

    Easier said than done, as this lifestyle is nearly written into their DNA and somewhat resistant to change - for better or worse.

  11. #11
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by thaimeme View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by VocalNeal View Post
    Another is the burning of agricultural waste, which is considered quicker and cheaper than trucking trash to faraway disposal facilities on this mountainous terrain.
    Obviuosly the author(sic) is not a farmer!

    Stubble burning:

    Quickly clears the field and is cheap.
    Kills weeds, including those resistant to herbicide.
    Kills slugs and other pests.
    Can reduce nitrogen tie-up
    The problem arises when seemingly affluent outsiders gentrify and move into agricultural areas and the NIMBY attitude comes into play.

    Still we should probably all stop eating and growing grains anyway
    Though, there are alternatives for these traditional and conditioned slash-n-burn farmers - requires the promoted education.

    Easier said than done, as this lifestyle is nearly written into their DNA and somewhat resistant to change - for better or worse.
    In other words there is no enforcement of the law, and there is no education or financial support to offer them alternatives.

    But they can find a load of money for a fucking mist blowing gizmo that probably put a wad of cash in someone's pocket.

  12. #12
    Thailand Expat terry57's Avatar
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    The air in BKK today was really shit.

    Could be from smoke or pollution.

    Dunno.

  13. #13
    Thailand Expat
    Farang Ky Ay's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by 9999 View Post
    ^are you referring to 'het hop'' ?
    Yes that's the name

  14. #14
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    DrB0b's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Farang Ky Ay View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by 9999 View Post
    ^are you referring to 'het hop'' ?
    Yes that's the name

    Sounds like some kind of ethnic music. Do you mean เห็ดถอบ, Het Thaawb, Astraeus hygrometricus - also known, rather wonderfully, as the Barometer Earthstar. The Thai version may be a different species, Astraeus Odoratus, in the same genus. They're a type of puffball. For some reason most Thais believe they grow underground and that burning is required to make them grow, neither, of course, is true.


  15. #15
    Thailand Expat
    Farang Ky Ay's Avatar
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    ^ well as it sounds quite close and it's mushroom related, I would say "Yes"

    I don't know if its a false belief from thai people but we usually look for theses mushrooms in this kind of place : actually it's look quite burnt and we used spoons like shovels to get them from the ground ...

    Last edited by Farang Ky Ay; 24-03-2016 at 04:04 AM.

  16. #16
    Thailand Expat
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    Millions of Londoners breathed air contaminated with record-breaking levels of a harmful pollutant for which there is no known safe exposure this month, the Standard has learned.

    Every air quality monitoring site in the capital hit “high” or “very high” during the smog episode from Thursday March 10 to Sunday March 13.

    The minute particles, known as PM2.5, are particularly dangerous because they can penetrate deep into lung tissue and are too small to be filtered out by the body’s normal defences.

    The “spike” in smog was caused by dirty air from industrial areas of Germany, Holland and Poland — as well as from fertilisers being sprayed on farmland — drifting towards south-east England on an easterly air flow.

    Once it reached London it was trapped by still anti-cyclonic conditions, and made even filthier by the usual daily emissions from London’s vehicles, particularly from diesel engines.

    Revealed: Millions of Londoners breathed in deadly smog this month | London | News | London Evening Standard

  17. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by Farang Ky Ay View Post
    ^ well as it sounds quite close and it's mushroom related, I would say "Yes"

    I don't know if its a false belief from thai people but we usually look for theses mushrooms in this kind of place : actually it's look quite burnt and we used spoons like shovels to get them from the ground ...

    I guess that would depend on the local Thai mushroom gatherers, who almost always have established expertise from where to find the most delectable and quality fungus - my experience has led me to understand that most skilled mushroom hunters prefer well-established forested and hilly areas and tend to reject the notion of newly fired off regions produce a better quality-type of morsel. I believe this post-fire gatherer are in the high minority, as it's a regional thing.

  18. #18
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    Farang Ky Ay's Avatar
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    ^ Agree as my original point was about another reason (beside making new farmland) for the forest-fire in northern Thailand
    I wasn't telling wether the practice is botanicaly correct or false concerning theses mushrooms, I told that's another reason to set theses fires (justified or not)

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