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The Burning Season

15 images Created 9 Apr 2013

March and April are the months of the "Burning Season" in northern Thailand. The rainy season ends in November, and the land is dry, reservoirs are at their lowest points of the year. A thick haze covers much of the northern countryside and many people wear masks because of the pollutants in the air.

Farmers are preparing their fields for planting, which starts in May. Traditionally, they prepare their fields by burning out the stubble from last years' crops. It's cheaper than plowing it under and they use the ash as a fertilizer.

But pollution generated by the smoke sends people to local hospitals with breathing ailments and covers everything with a fine layer of soot. In some cases, the smoke is so thick commercial airports have to close or restrict operations. The Thai government it trying to prohibit burning but it's been a difficult campaign to win. Farmers here have been burning out their fields for thousands of years and see no reason to stop now.

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  • 09 APRIL 2013 - BANTHI, LAMPHUN, THAILAND:    A burnt out field in Banthi, Lamphun province, Thailand. The "burning season," which roughly goes from late February to late April, is when farmers in northern Thailand burn the dead grass and last year's stubble out of their fields. The burning creates clouds of smoke that causes breathing problems, reduces visibility and contributes to global warming. The Thai government has banned the burning and is making an effort to control it, but the farmers think it replenishes their soil (they use the ash as fertilizer) and it's cheaper than ploughing the weeds under.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    ChiangMaiBurning035.jpg
  • 06 APRIL 2013 - CHIANG MAI, CHIANG MAI, THAILAND: Men wear face masks to cut the amount of smoke and pollutants they breathe in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The "burning season," which roughly goes from late February to late April, is when farmers in northern Thailand burn the dead grass and last year's stubble out of their fields. The burning creates clouds of smoke that causes breathing problems, reduces visibility and contributes to global warming. The Thai government has banned the burning and is making an effort to control it, but the farmers think it replenishes their soil (they use the ash as fertilizer) and it's cheaper than ploughing the weeds under.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    ChiangMaiBurning001.jpg
  • 06 APRIL 2013 - CHIANG MAI, CHIANG MAI, THAILAND: The view from the scenic overlook at Wat Phra That Doi Kham (Temple of the Golden Mountain) in Chiang Mai is obscured by smoke from illegal burning going on around the city. The "burning season," which roughly goes from late February to late April, is when farmers in northern Thailand burn the dead grass and last year's stubble out of their fields. The burning creates clouds of smoke that causes breathing problems, reduces visibility and contributes to global warming. The Thai government has banned the burning and is making an effort to control it, but the farmers think it replenishes their soil (they use the ash as fertilizer) and it's cheaper than ploughing the weeds under.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    ChiangMaiBurning002.jpg
  • 09 APRIL, 2013 - DO SAKET, CHIANG MAI, THAILAND:  A man wearing a breathing filter waits to see a doctor in Doi Saket, Chiang Mai province, Thailand. He said he was wearing the mask and waiting to see the doctor because he was having a hard time breathing because of the smoke in the air.  The "burning season," which roughly goes from late February to late April, is when farmers in northern Thailand burn the dead grass and last year's stubble out of their fields. The burning creates clouds of smoke that causes breathing problems, reduces visibility and contributes to global warming. The Thai government has banned the burning and is making an effort to control it, but the farmers think it replenishes their soil (they use the ash as fertilizer) and it's cheaper than ploughing the weeds under.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    ChiangMaiBurning031.jpg
  • 09 APRIL, 2013 - DO SAKET, CHIANG MAI, THAILAND:  A Shan hilltribe man walks along the highway in Doi Saket to a nearby hospital. He said he was going to the hospital because he couldn't breathe because of the smoke in the air. He said that was also why he was wearing the breathing mask. The "burning season," which roughly goes from late February to late April, is when farmers in northern Thailand burn the dead grass and last year's stubble out of their fields. The burning creates clouds of smoke that causes breathing problems, reduces visibility and contributes to global warming. The Thai government has banned the burning and is making an effort to control it, but the farmers think it replenishes their soil (they use the ash as fertilizer) and it's cheaper than ploughing the weeds under.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    ChiangMaiBurning032.jpg
  • 07 APRIL 2013 - CHIANG MAI, CHIANG MAI, THAILAND: A Buddhist novice wearing a mask to block out smoke and pollutants works with his fellow novices at Wat Jetlin in Chiang Mai. The "burning season," which roughly goes from late February to late April, is when farmers in northern Thailand burn the dead grass and last year's stubble out of their fields. The burning creates clouds of smoke that causes breathing problems, reduces visibility and contributes to global warming. The Thai government has banned the burning and is making an effort to control it, but the farmers think it replenishes their soil (they use the ash as fertilizer) and it's cheaper than ploughing the weeds under.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    ChiangMaiBurning026.jpg
  • 06 APRIL 2013 - CHIANG MAI, CHIANG MAI, THAILAND: Thai firefighters work to control an illegal burn that got out of control on a hillside on the edge of Chiang Mai. The "burning season," which roughly goes from late February to late April, is when farmers in northern Thailand burn the dead grass and last year's stubble out of their fields. The burning creates clouds of smoke that causes breathing problems, reduces visibility and contributes to global warming. The Thai government has banned the burning and is making an effort to control it, but the farmers think it replenishes their soil (they use the ash as fertilizer) and it's cheaper than ploughing the weeds under.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    ChiangMaiBurning012.jpg
  • 06 APRIL 2013 - CHIANG MAI, CHIANG MAI, THAILAND: Flames candle and crown in a tree at the site of an illegal burn on the edge of Chiang Mai. The "burning season," which roughly goes from late February to late April, is when farmers in northern Thailand burn the dead grass and last year's stubble out of their fields. The burning creates clouds of smoke that causes breathing problems, reduces visibility and contributes to global warming. The Thai government has banned the burning and is making an effort to control it, but the farmers think it replenishes their soil (they use the ash as fertilizer) and it's cheaper than ploughing the weeds under.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    ChiangMaiBurning023.jpg
  • 06 APRIL 2013 - CHIANG MAI, CHIANG MAI, THAILAND: Thai firefighters work to control an illegal burn that got out of control on a hillside on the edge of Chiang Mai. The "burning season," which roughly goes from late February to late April, is when farmers in northern Thailand burn the dead grass and last year's stubble out of their fields. The burning creates clouds of smoke that causes breathing problems, reduces visibility and contributes to global warming. The Thai government has banned the burning and is making an effort to control it, but the farmers think it replenishes their soil (they use the ash as fertilizer) and it's cheaper than ploughing the weeds under.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    ChiangMaiBurning007.jpg
  • 09 APRIL 2013 - BANTHI, LAMPHUN, THAILAND:    A sign put up by the Thai government urges people not to burn the grass in their fields this year. The "burning season," which roughly goes from late February to late April, is when farmers in northern Thailand burn the dead grass and last year's stubble out of their fields. The burning creates clouds of smoke that causes breathing problems, reduces visibility and contributes to global warming. The Thai government has banned the burning and is making an effort to control it, but the farmers think it replenishes their soil (they use the ash as fertilizer) and it's cheaper than ploughing the weeds under.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    ChiangMaiBurning034.jpg
  • 09 APRIL 2013 - KHUNTAN, LAMPHUN, THAILAND:  A grassfire set by people who wanted to burn out weeds and dead grass from a road side burns in Khuntan, Lamphun province, Thailand. The "burning season," which roughly goes from late February to late April, is when farmers in northern Thailand burn the dead grass and last year's stubble out of their fields. The burning creates clouds of smoke that causes breathing problems, reduces visibility and contributes to global warming. The Thai government has banned the burning and is making an effort to control it, but the farmers think it replenishes their soil (they use the ash as fertilizer) and it's cheaper than ploughing the weeds under.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    ChiangMaiBurning039.jpg
  • 09 APRIL 2013 - KHUNTAN, LAMPHUN, THAILAND:  An assistant village headman from Khuntan, Lamphun province, throws water on a grassfire burning on a roadside in the community. The "burning season," which roughly goes from late February to late April, is when farmers in northern Thailand burn the dead grass and last year's stubble out of their fields. The burning creates clouds of smoke that causes breathing problems, reduces visibility and contributes to global warming. The Thai government has banned the burning and is making an effort to control it, but the farmers think it replenishes their soil (they use the ash as fertilizer) and it's cheaper than ploughing the weeds under.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    ChiangMaiBurning046.jpg
  • 09 APRIL 2013 - KHUNTAN, LAMPHUN, THAILAND:  A woman rides her motorcycle past a grassfire buring out weeds in Khuntan, Lamphun province, Thailand.  The "burning season," which roughly goes from late February to late April, is when farmers in northern Thailand burn the dead grass and last year's stubble out of their fields. The burning creates clouds of smoke that causes breathing problems, reduces visibility and contributes to global warming. The Thai government has banned the burning and is making an effort to control it, but the farmers think it replenishes their soil (they use the ash as fertilizer) and it's cheaper than ploughing the weeds under.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    ChiangMaiBurning044.jpg
  • 09 APRIL 2013 - KHUNTAN, LAMPHUN, THAILAND:  A grassfire set by people who wanted to burn out weeds and dead grass from a road side burns in Khuntan, Lamphun province, Thailand. The "burning season," which roughly goes from late February to late April, is when farmers in northern Thailand burn the dead grass and last year's stubble out of their fields. The burning creates clouds of smoke that causes breathing problems, reduces visibility and contributes to global warming. The Thai government has banned the burning and is making an effort to control it, but the farmers think it replenishes their soil (they use the ash as fertilizer) and it's cheaper than ploughing the weeds under.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    ChiangMaiBurning041.jpg
  • 09 APRIL 2013 - KHUNTAN, LAMPHUN, THAILAND:  A man rides his motorcycle past a grassfire buring out weeds in Khuntan, Lamphun province, Thailand.  The "burning season," which roughly goes from late February to late April, is when farmers in northern Thailand burn the dead grass and last year's stubble out of their fields. The burning creates clouds of smoke that causes breathing problems, reduces visibility and contributes to global warming. The Thai government has banned the burning and is making an effort to control it, but the farmers think it replenishes their soil (they use the ash as fertilizer) and it's cheaper than ploughing the weeds under.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    ChiangMaiBurning047.jpg
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Jack Kurtz, Photojournalist & Travel Photographer

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