In Europe and the United States, according to the widely used PM10 scale, the
air is considered dangerous if pollution levels reach 50 microgrammes per
cubic metres. During our stay, the level in Chiang Mai peaked at 216.65;
farther north, in Mae Hong Son and Chiang Mai provinces, which have some of
Thailand’s most popular trekking paths, levels reached 431.6. On March 20,
Nok Air, the country’s premier domestic airline, cancelled all flights to
Mae Hong Son indefinitely.
Thai authorities have tried to blame slash-and-burn farmers in neighbouring
Burma and Laos, but the country’s Natural Resources and Environment
Department now admits that the problem is largely attributable to Thai
farmers and agribusinesses, and has been worsened by people burning domestic
rubbish.
I decided to see for myself, and, with a couple of local friends, took to the
nearby mountains on a motorbike. Outside Chiang Mai the haze intensified. We
took the Mae Sopong loop, one of Thailand’s most spectacular mountain
drives, and stopped at viewpoints that normally demand to be photographed.
Visibility at many spots was less than 100 yards and we could seldom see
past the first mountain ridge.
Even so, within clear sight of the road, farmers were burning vegetation. A
Tourism Authority of Thailand spokesman told us that burning had been
banned, but at no point did we see any attempt to stop it.
Some tour operators and trekking companies are telling visitors to steer clear
until air quality improves. Mark Ord, who has lived in Chiang Mai for 12
years and runs All Points East, which organises treks in the region, said: “I’ve
never seen it this bad and have even been advising visitors to stay away.
Remember, you are dealing with a government whose health minister recently
tried to blame the rise in dengue fever on ‘women wearing hot pants’.”
Until Thailand and its neighbours get to grips with the problem, much of this
part of the country could be off limits to travellers every spring.
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