Dont breath the air in ChiangMai !

Northern Thai city of Chiang Mai on health alert for haze

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP): Residents in Thailand's northern city of Chiang Mai have been advised to curb their outdoor activities to protect themselves from a choking haze, officials said.

The warning from the Pollution Control Department late Wednesday said that people with respiratory problems should seek medical advice immediately.

It said the level of dust particles smaller than 10 microns was measured Wednesday at 243.19 micrograms per cubic meter in the city, higher than the acceptable level of 120 micrograms per cubic meter. Chiang Mai, one of Thailand's largest cities, is a popular tourist destination.

"If it rises to 300 micrograms (per cubic meter), we may ask the Pollution Control Department to invoke a state of environmental emergency so officials can act more effectively,'' to stop open-air burning, said Apiwat Kunarat, the director of the regional environmental office under the Ministry of Natural Resource and Environment.

"It would be like an environmental martial law and the punishment for violation of the laws will be harsher than usual,'' he said. Those who cannot avoid outdoor exposure should cover their noses with a wet towel to avoid breathing in the dust generated by widespread brush fires in the surrounding areas and slash-and-burn farming activities, the department said.

Nestled in a valley, Chiang Mai, 570 kilometers (350 miles) north of Bangkok, is a popular tourist destination.

The department said the haze, which appeared on Thursday last week, will likely get worse in the near future if the fires continued.

izzix wrote:

It would be like an environmental martial law and the punishment for violation of the laws will be harsher than usual,'' he said.