As the calendar ushers in the harvest season, the northern skies are often blighted by an ominous, unhealthy haze, a suffocating blanket of fine dust that wreaks havoc on the well-being of the local populace. It’s a grim reminder of an age-old agricultural ritual gone awry: the burning of seasonal crops, setting the stage for a dramatic environmental and public health crisis.
But change is wafting through the air, thanks to the stalwart efforts of governor Nirat Pongsitthithavorn. In a bid to clear the air, the governor spearheaded a pivotal teleconference with the 25 district chiefs, a clarion call to arms against the entrenched practice of agricultural fires. The mandate was loud and clear: enforce the no-burn rule with an iron fist.
In a remarkable act of environmental stewardship, the district chiefs received a renewed directive, echoing the Chiang Mai provincial mandate – no burning of the precious farm waste from January 1 to April 30, unless explicitly permitted. It’s no small task for the farmers, for whom the flame has long been a quick fix; they must now petition the district office’s blessing before striking a match against their post-harvest scrub.
The battles are to be both fought and recorded on the digital frontier, using a vigilant app aptly named FireD. This tech-savvy approach ensures that every approved agricultural pyre is meticulously reported and monitored, a high-tech sentinel in the fight for breathable skies.
Yet the district chiefs bear a heavier, more proactive burden: to unravel the necessity of these pyres altogether and fan the flames of creativity instead. Farmers are now implored to till and bury their farm leftovers in a gentle return to earth, or even to transform their refuse into gold by selling to energy recycling plants. These innovative facilities make a renewable treasure from chaff – energy compressed bars that factories eagerly convert into power.
The governor’s stats portray a chilling potential inferno: 1,124 spots earmarked for the ceremonial residue burn, sprawled over a vast 140,569 rai. The district chiefs are the vanguards in this crusade, charged with the pivotal review of these proposals and heralding the crusade for alternatives.
Indulging in a bit of hands-on leadership, Nirat called upon the district chiefs to dive into the trenches; to scrutinize the necessity of each burn and ensure no other method would suit. From supplying farmers with fuel to aid in ploughing and discarding waste to ensuring trash is not carelessly discarded and burned by communities, actions big and small were on the docket.
Hot on the smoke-free trail, San Kamphaeng district chief Pinyo Puasriphan vowed action. His campaign is armed with offerings of fuel subsidies for farmers who abandon the burn for the bury across 8,510 rai. Likewise, Mae On’s district chief Chalit Thipkham marked his map with 115 burn sites, yet aspires to eradicate fires on at least 12,000 rai with alternative techniques.
With a nod to future-focused sustainability, deputy governor Thossapol Phuanudom announced a swift push for energy recycling plants to acquire this farm waste bounty, promising new life for biomass and bolstering eco-friendly energy production.
The plot thickens with the involvement of 75,000 families who have a stake in the rice fields, totalling half a million rai of agricultural heartland. Thanks to Chiang Mai’s agricultural top-brass, Charoen Pimkhan, farmers are now armed not just with vision but the machinery to bundle their hay into bales, feeding livestock or fetch a tidy sum in the market, signaling a win-win in the green revolution — one bale at a time.
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