Chiang Mai chokes under severe haze as pollution levels in Northern Thailand soar

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Advertisement Asia Chiang Mai chokes under severe haze as pollution levels in Northern Thailand soar Pon Doikam, a coconut seller in Chiang Mai, told AFP the haze is so severe it leaves her nose burning and bloodied. Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST FAST CHIANG MAI: After hours spent in the thick pollution-choking parts of northern Thailand, Pon Doikam gets home and blows her burning nose to find blood clots spattered across the tissue. "It's suffocating," the 36-year-old coconut seller told AFP in Chiang Mai, a tourist destination among the areas affected by dangerous pollution levels this week. "It feels like you're trapped in the smoke constantly," she said. CNA Games Guess Word Crack the word, one row at a time Buzzword Create words using the given letters Mini Sudoku Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser Mini Crossword Small grid, big challenge Word Search Spot as many words as you can Show More Show Less But parts of northern Thailand are seeing haze that even hardened locals say is exceptional. "I've lived in Chiang Mai since I was a kid, and this is the worst it has ever been," said Pon, who works outdoors all day. "I don't have a choice," she added. "I have to come out, making a living day to day." This week Thailand's second-largest city, Chiang Mai, regularly topped the IQAir monitor website's most polluted big cities list. Sign up for our newsletters Get our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inbox Subscribe here Get the CNA app Stay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best stories Download here Get WhatsApp alerts Join our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat app Join here Related Topics Thailand Chiang Mai air pollution Advertisement Also worth reading Content is loading...

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Chiang Mai chokes under severe haze as pollution levels in Northern Thailand soar
Pon Doikam, a coconut seller in Chiang Mai, told AFP the haze is so severe it leaves her nose burning and bloodied. Across northern Thailand, even longtime residents say the pollution is exceptionally bad, with dangerous levels of fine particles linked to serious disease.
A general view shows a white Buddha statue shrouded in heavy pollution as smoke (top L) rises from a hillside wildfire in Pai on April 1, 2026, west of Thailand's second-largest city Chiang. (Photo: AFP/Anthony Wallace)
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04 Apr 2026 05:14PM
(Updated: 04 Apr 2026 05:21PM)
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CHIANG MAI: After hours spent in the thick pollution-choking parts of northern Thailand, Pon Doikam gets home and blows her burning nose to find blood clots spattered across the tissue.
"It's suffocating," the 36-year-old coconut seller told AFP in Chiang Mai, a tourist destination among the areas affected by dangerous pollution levels this week.
"It feels like you're trapped in the smoke constantly," she said.
Seasonal agricultural burning, forest fires and weather patterns produce an annual pollution season across much of Southeast Asia.
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But parts of northern Thailand are seeing haze that even hardened locals say is exceptional.
"I've lived in Chiang Mai since I was a kid, and this is the worst it has ever been," said Pon, who works outdoors all day.
"I don't have a choice," she added. "I have to come out, making a living day to day."
This week Thailand's second-largest city, Chiang Mai, regularly topped the IQAir monitor website's most polluted big cities list.
The situation is even worse to the west in Pai, a backpacker destination known for its greenery and mountains.
Some monitors there recorded levels of PM2.5 - particles small enough to enter the bloodstream and linked to diseases like cancer - of over 900 micrograms per cubic metre.
That is 60 times higher than the World Health Organization's recommended 24-hour average exposure.
The area's mountainous geography makes it doubly vulnerable. Smoke is easily trapped, and the forested hillsides are hard to access when fires start.
VERY DISAPPOINTED
AFP saw multiple blazes burning on hillsides and along roads between Pai and Chiang Mai, lighting up patches of otherwise pitch-black countryside.
Volunteer firefighters like Maitree Nuanja do their best to bolster limited local capacity, relying heavily on donations such as drinking water and face masks.
A volunteer firefighter walks past a white Buddha statue after using a leaf blower to create firebreaks in a nearby forest affected by wildfires, on a heavily polluted day in Pai. (Photo: AFP/Anthony Wallace)
"The fire control centre gave us 20 litres of fuel and lent us leaf blowers. Once the season ends, we have to return them," he told AFP, standing before a blackened, ash-strewn stretch of land.
"Everyone can see how serious it is now. It's so dark and hazy you can't see a thing, and it's gone on for far too long."
He worries about his home next to a forest, and his health.
"We now live with this smoke, breathing it in every day."
On Wednesday, a volunteer firefighter was found dead from suspected exhaustion linked to heat and underlying health conditions, officials told AFP.
Pollution is particularly dangerous to those with existing health problems, the elderly and children.
In Chiang Mai, the government has installed hundreds of "dust-free rooms" - equipped with air purifiers and positive pressure systems that keep out the polluted air - including at the retirement facility that Watwilai Chaiwan now calls home.
The retired nurse, 82, said the pollution made her afraid to go out and aggravated her dizziness and migraines.
"It's a real problem for the elderly. You have to wear a mask the entire time you're breathing this air," she told AFP.
Thailand's government held talks this week on the haze, and some districts in Chiang Mai have issued disaster declarations to help speed up financial support.
But clean air activists say more is needed, and are pushing for the government to move quickly on clean air legislation that stalled last year with the dissolution of parliament.
"A normal government would have been concerned about clean air not only now but a long time ago," said Ka

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## Expert Analysis

### Merits
N/A

### Areas for Consideration
- CNA Games Guess Word Crack the word, one row at a time Buzzword Create words using the given letters Mini Sudoku Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser Mini Crossword Small grid, big challenge Word Search Spot as many words as you can Show More Show Less But parts of northern Thailand are seeing haze that even hardened locals say is exceptional. "I've lived in Chiang Mai since I was a kid, and this is the worst it has ever been," said Pon, who works outdoors all day. "I don't have a choice," she added. "I have to come out, making a living day to day." This week Thailand's second-largest city, Chiang Mai, regularly topped the IQAir monitor website's most polluted big cities list.
- The retired nurse, 82, said the pollution made her afraid to go out and aggravated her dizziness and migraines. "It's a real problem for the elderly.

### Implications
- If no action is taken by May 13, the legislation will expire and the process will have to start from scratch, she added. "The public is very disappointed." A hillside wildfire is seen from a road in Chiang Mai on April 1, 2026. (Photo: AFP/Anthony Wallace) THIS IS SHOCKING In Chiang Mai, doctor Thanakrit Im-iam was wearing a heavy-duty respirator to protect himself.

### Expert Commentary
This article covers chiang, mai, pollution topics. Areas of concern are also raised. Readability: Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.0. Word count: 1209.