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In Chiang Mai, which has become one of the most polluted cities in the world, residents live under a nauseating cloud that threatens their health and tourism on the eve of the Thai New Year.
Classic in this season, the smoke released by forest fires and the burning of stubble by farmers has reached unprecedented levels this year and is suffocating the major tourist city in northern Thailand.
On Wednesday, as for several days in a row, Chiang Mai was at the top of the cities in the world with the most polluted air with fine particles in the ranking established by the IQAir application.
Photos and videos of the haze that blanketed the historic city have sparked calls for action ahead of the highly anticipated national elections in May and the World Health Organization has warned of dire long-term consequences term of air pollution.
Local readings showed levels of PM2.5 particles – so tiny they can enter the bloodstream – more than 30 times higher than the annual WHO recommendation, according to IQAir.
“It made me want to cry,” Kanchaya Boontan, the owner of a small travel agency, told AFP.
“Pollution affects my life more and more”
“This year is bad, normally the pollution is not too long, but foreigners have seen the information“, she says, adjusting her N95 mask, equivalent to an FFP2.
“Last week, I only had one client. This week, no one.“
Shunned by foreigners, Chiang Mai is also shunned by Thais, who have multiplied cancellations as the weekend of Songkran, the local New Year, approaches due to pollution, according to the hotel association of Thailand.
Outside the famous Tha Phae Gate, as tourists scare away pigeons and pose for photos, Aun, a 45-year-old orange juice seller, tries to keep the business going.
“Pollution affects my life more and more every day, whether it’s my health or the drop in the number of tourists“, he explains.
“Some days you can barely see the roads in front of you, and it’s not fog but smog“, he adds.
According to Siwatt Pongpiachan, an atmospheric scientist at the National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand, the pollution is mainly due to burning by farmers in the region and neighboring countries.
PM2.5 particles, the most dangerous, accumulate at the city level, which is in a basin. According to the expert, the evolution of the climate is also in question.
According to the Ministry of Public Health, nearly two million people have had to be hospitalized this year for respiratory conditions caused by air pollution.
A bright red sun
According to Rungsrit Kanjanavanit, a cardiologist in Chiang Mai, the authorities maintain a culpable silence, for fear of scaring off tourists for good, in a country where this sector is vital for the economy.
“The effects on the population are immense“, especially on children and the elderly, says Rungsrit, adding that long-term exposure to PM2.5 has established consequences on life expectancy.
“The sun was really bright red from the smoke in the sky, it was quite, quite strange and very hazy“, says the British tourist Lucy Cooper.
“Couldn’t see beyond a few fields“, relates this 34-year-old woman, who came with her companion and her two children.
The smog “hides the beauty of the city”, regrets Chokchai Mongkolcho, a Thai tourist.
“I wonder if I will ever come back here if the pollution persists.”
Slide: Air pollution: 7 most affected cities in the world