Imagine a place that is filled with natural beauty and a relatively laid-back way of life. Imagine that this place enjoys much more bearable temperatures than most of the rest of the country that it is inside of. Imagine a place filled with waterfalls, nature trails, streams and rivers but also has all the conveniences of a modern city. That place is Chiang Mai, Thailand and it is a wonderful place to live. Well, except from mid January to around the end of February.
This isn't a cloudy day, this isn't a rainy day, this is just EVERY day in Chiang Mai because of the unsolvable problem of crop burning that takes place in the north every single year. The burnoff from rice fields and the intentional destruction of undergrowth in places like rubber and palm farms all happens at the same time of year every year and the end result is something that looks like a desolate wasteland or something out of an apocalypse film. This is that every single day of our lives looks like up here and nobody in the government so much as really even talks about it. They used to, they used to promise that it would be better this year, but in the past 2 years I have noticed that they don't even mention it anymore and kind of hope that people will just deal with it and move on with their lives.
I know why they don't talk about it: It is because there really isn't anything they can do. There have been attempts in the past to do what Thai officials tend to do: Blame Myanmar for it. While a lot of people will allow their patriotism to take control and believe this about many things, one only need look to the mountains that surround the city at night to realize that to attempt to blame this on outsiders is just absolute BS.
On some nights you can literally see the fires raging in the mountains that surround 2 sides of the city center. Any attempts to blame this on an outsider or outsiders is just a stupid claim for anyone to make and I guess that is why they stopped doing it. The people don't really trust the government here anyway but when they stand in front of a group of people talking about how the problem is made by another nation when we can see the fires behind them, people tend to stop listening to what they have to say.
Everyone knows why this happens every year. It is because of the massive burn-off of fields and farms that happens like clockwork at exactly the same time of year. While the smog happens all over the country that does this, it is more noticeable in Chiang Mai because of the elevation and because the mountains and other weather related phenomenon contains the smoke in this one area.
The AQI (Air Quality Index) varies widely depending on where you are but honestly, if you were here you don't need an expensive mechanical something or other to tell you that the air outside is very bad. I have a house with a lot of windows but during this time of year I keep them closed as often as possible. I always know when it is time to start closing the windows and doors all the time because in a day every counter, every shelf, every surface will be covered with what looks like dust but it is actually a small grit that is a by-product of this air pollution. Now just imagine that you are breathing that in and out all day, every day.
Wealthier people, and I am not wealthy but I have a few hundred extra dollars, will buy an air purifier and this is a big business in the appliance stores every year. People with super concerns about this sort of things will also only visit restaurants, bars, and what have you that have air purification systems and places like this that are vying for more custom will have an AQI machine posted at the entrance of their establishment.
No matter how you try to avoid it though, you are likely going to be breathing quite dangerous air any time you go outdoors. During this time of year my air conditioning units become very dirty very quickly.
This is one really big downside of Chiang Mai and I end up talking about it every year because even though I am not as worried about it as other people are because I don't have any respiratory issues, I would also prefer to not develop any just because of where I live.
There is a solution to this but it will never be implemented. Thailand has a lot of very poor people living in it and the people that are doing the burning are just trying to make a little bit of money. The other methods that could be used (and are used in the west) simply are far beyond the financial means of the people who are starting these fires. These are not greedy people trying to get their 3rd Ferrari, these people are barely able to afford a roof and some food. What are we going to do? Put them in prison? Tell them that they can't make money?
So if you live in Chiang Mai unfortunately this is just part of your annual life and you have no choice but to deal with it or move away. It isn't going to change. Friends of mine that actually do have pulmonary issues tend to move away from the area for a few months during this time of year.
I would say that it is a bad idea to try to come and visit Chiang Mai during the smoke season. It will just turn you off to the entire area.