Some arrive with chest pain or prolonged coughs. “Mostly they have difficulty breathing,” he says. The reason is the thick smog that blankets the city and other regions during the country’s cooler months.
The pollution is even more severe in the north of Thailand. Yesterday, Chiang Mai was listed as worst for air pollution in a live ranking by the Swiss air-quality company IQAir, which includes data from about 100 cities around the world for which there is measured particulate matter PM2.5 data.
In Mae Sai, in the northern Chiang Rai province, local media footage yesterday showed thick yellow dust in the air as the concentration of PM2.5 in the district reached 76.3 times the World Health Organization annual air-quality guideline value, according to IQAir. Over the weekend, signs that read “Save Mae Sai” were hung in public places.
Air pollution in Thailand is generally worst during the cooler months, when seasonal agricultural burning occurs, compounding the fumes from transport and industry.
"[People] buy N95 masks, they buy air purifiers, they seal their houses, they get air-quality monitors,” said Weenarin Lulitanonda, co-founder of the Thailand Clean Air Network. But these options are not affordable to everyone.
This story is from the March 28, 2023 edition of The Guardian.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the March 28, 2023 edition of The Guardian.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Armstrong's panache condemns Leeds to yet more playoff agony
Southampton's squad ventured to the Isle of Wight for a get-together at the end of the regular season, where the majority owner, Dragan Solak, who dragged his fingernails down his face during the final minutes at Wembley, promised they would have the party of their lives if they sealed promotion.
Unqualified setback for Draper after battling back in vain against De Jong
Briton recovers from two sets down but still goes out in first round to world No 176
Leinster must tear up script to end final pain next year
Third successive Champions Cup defeat exposed a defensive obsession coupled with a lack of imagination
Peaking for Paris Perspective and staying in present are vital to athletes' Olympic planning
I remember friends asking me before the 2004 Athens Games if I was really digging in and putting in extra miles now the Olympics were just round the corner.
"There's hate on all sides' Cracks in Israeli unity as conflict drags on
In a video filmed in what appears to be a burnt-out building in Gaza, with Hebrew graffiti referring to Meir Kahane, an infamous Jewish supremacist, a masked soldier addresses Israel's defence minister.
"They hold all the cards' Purge of Russia's top defence figures shows FSB's growing power
In the weeks since Vladimir Putin sacked his longtime defence minister Sergei Shoigu, Russia's FSB security service has pursued a series of corruption cases against a deputy minister and department heads in what many are calling a purge in the defence ministry.
Relaxation of childcare staffing ratios 'has put toddlers at greater risk'
Toddlers have been \"sold out\" to balance the books of the government's childcare bill, according to nursery providers, who say young children have been put at risk by changes in supervision rules.
Historic role New mayor defies racist threats to serve Derry
Lilian Seenoi-Barr will make history on 3 June when she receives the chain of office at Derry's guildhall and becomes Northern Ireland's first black mayor.
DWP carer scandal 85-year-old is told to pay back £13,000
Sia Kasparis, 85, was in her hospital bed in the living room of her small north London flat when there was a knock at the door.
Deaf people miss out on NHS care because of poor access
NHS England has been accused of \"dragging its feet\" on new accessibility procedures, leaving disabled people struggling to get healthcare.