Chiang Mai Air Pollution - Smoke Crisis in Northern Thailand | JITTTAPON KAICOME - Thailand Photojournalist | Documentary Photographer in Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand in Southeast Asia - JITTRAPON KAICOME | Photojournalist

A Smoke Crisis in Northern Thailand.
The Seasonal Haze Pollution.
(ongoing project from 2014)

Northern Thailand- people have been facing a smoke crisis causing unhealthy air for more than a decade, generally starting from February and lasting well into April. Growing population numbers combined with climate change will contribute to aggravating this crisis. The situation is getting worse year by year and has now become commonplace.

A firefighter hikes through a forest fire, to prevent its further spread during the night time by making a firebreak.
99% of all wildfires are caused by humans. Chiang Mai, Thailand.

PM2.5 is formed in the atmosphere through chemical reactions between several pollutants, such as Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) and Nitrogen Oxide (NOx). These enter the atmosphere through the burning of agricultural and other waste products, as well as the manufacturing and transportation industry. During the smog season in Northern Thailand, the blame for this smoke crisis lies primarily with activities that involve burning. Local villagers in Tak province are burning plastic waste in the fresh market.

Asian tourists wear dust protection masks during making a visit to tourist destinations in the smog season in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

The Chiang Mai sky is covered all over by smoke. Locals and foreigners alike are affected by heavy smog. People are seen walking in the evening across the Rin Kham intersection of Suthep and Nimmanhaeminda road. This is one of the locations in Chiang Mai that has economic importance, due to its trendy shops, restaurants, cafes, and galleries.

The Smoke crisis in the northern region affects the economy of cities such as Chiang Mai, which rely heavily on tourism. There is a tendency for this issue to intensify every year. The Chiang Mai sky is covered by fine particles of PM2.5, and the quantity of these dispersed fine particles has tremendously surpassed its critical safety limit.

Wildfire occurs during the day time in a place outside of the city. The nearby areas where labors working are covered in haze. Chiang Mai, Thailand.

The tiny PM2.5 particles can accumulate in the respiratory system after inhalation. They are small enough to invade even the finest airways and can lodge deeply into the lungs. In the smog season, hospitals have a significant influx of patients with respiratory problems. Most of them are older people, smokers and people who have problems with immune disorders or difficulty breathing. Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Kids are playing in the cornfields of the mountainous areas in Northern Thailand. Their family’s income is mainly sourced from growing corn used for the animal feed business. Planting on the mountain slopes starts from June.

Corn is widely grown on mountain slopes. This plant is specially adapted to mountainous regions that are not suitable for other types of plants. A wide use of this monocropping system has led to heavy deforestation. Fire is extensively used for land clearing before plantation so as to make more business income for the company from farmers who engage in contract farming system which will largely contribute to climate change threats. Northern Thailand

Farmers are milling corns after harvesting. They are the one who's been blamed for causing air pollution in the city in the smoke crises period in Northern Thailand.

Slow-burning wildfire scorches thousands of acres in Northern Thailand. The areas burned by wildfires each year appeared to start after crop harvesting. Stubble burning is a major reason for heavy smog and air pollution. Forests are considered to be vital for human life due to their provisions of a diverse range of resources. They are able to store carbon and produce oxygen which is necessary to the existence of life on the planet. The extensive destruction of forests turns the land into barren areas that can be described as “bald mountains”. The deforestation is an extraordinary contributor to climate change.

The use of fire monitoring system for the detection and assessment of current bushfires made by satellite sensors. Satellite-based information, Terra/Aqua MODIS, SUOMI NPP and NOAA19 will then be used for the management of fires so as to minimize the subsequent consequences such as health and economic impacts. Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Firefighters demonstrate the capability of handling a wildfire. Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Moshe, a Lahu hill tribe people who once worked as a firefighter. During a fierce firefighting operation, his hands had suffered burns in a dangerous undertaking that left him disabled. After becoming a person with disability, his life has to only cling to the social welfare system. Chiang Rai, Thailand.

Many believe that plant species in fire-affected environments require fire to germinate, establish, or to reproduce. Collection of Melientha suavis Pierre, native to Southeast Asia countries, is commonly seen after a vegetation fire and many have also blamed it for primary cause of forest fire and hazy conditions. Mae Hong Son, Thailand.

The Thai Forest tradition is the branch of Theravāda Buddhism practice is famous for a strict Dhamma practice and mental cultivation. One of the 227 precepts states that it is prohibited to destroy plants but to keep the temple and themselves safe from a wildfire, monks have to rake plant leaves and create a firebreak around the temple. Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Tann Maneetor is one of nature's messengers and a former Doi Inthanon authority. In his earlier life, he was shot in his left eye whilst tracking a forest poacher. After losing his eye, he realized that multiple sustainable ways of solving problems and protecting the environment can only be obtained by “planting a forest in the people’s hearts.” During the smoggy season, he teaches conservation practices to youth, by leading them to experience the natural forest environment. He’s teaching these children to have a perception of living in harmony with nature, ensuring that this ideology will consistently be passed down through many generations. Chiang Mai, Thailand.

“My trees, my friends” is one of many activities that lets young children awaken their own sense of connection with nature. It focuses on how to “plant a forest in people’s hearts,” to ingrain them with the sustainable values of saving the environment, by a group of “Nature’s Messengers” during the smoggy season. Chiang Mai, Thailand.