Despite the cool weather, the period between late January to March is not a pleasant time for villagers in Lampang and the other northern provinces. It is the time that haze -- caused by the swathes of smoke from forest fires and the burning of agricultural waste -- blankets the region. The man-made smog has been an inevitable seasonal event. Every year, farmers need to clear agricultural leftovers on their farms before sowing new seeds in May. In the old days, haze was tolerable. But mono-cultivation, especially large scale corn plantation, has recently forced farmers to clear large plots of land quickly for re-harvesting.
Haze is pollution, irritation, and also is severely damaging to one's health. Last year, schools in several northern provinces needed to close temporarily and hospitals saw a rise in patients with respiratory problems -- 55,000 in Chiang Mai alone. Haze also hurts tourism and related-businesses, while flights to Chiang Mai sometimes faced delays and even cancellation due to poor visibility.
The solution to the haze problem is easier said than done. Forcing farmers to stop clearing their land also means stopping them from starting the new growing season. Hence, all we can do really is brace themselves for the haze with protective masks or, if possible, move away of the area temporarily.
For Boonkoom Boonyasopath, energy engineer and member of the board of the Rotary Club Lampang, the solution probably lies in a machine called the "Biomass Shredder", which helps farmers get rid off farm waste without having to burn it.
"Like you and I, farmers do not want to burn agricultural waste because they too need to inhale the smoke. But they don't have a choice," said Boonkoom, who's also a founder of BKE Combustion Controls, a company that exports industrial combustion machines.
"Disposing farm waste by moving it means huge logistic costs and they don't have the time to do that. So the machine has been conceived to remove the barrier of logistic costs and to help farmers deal with waste efficiently and in an environmental-friendly way."
Choked with smoke too, Boonkoom last year walked around in his factory workshop and cranked up some tools. And he came up with the shredding machine.
Made up of a motor and 50 thick and sharp blades, the machine -- which costs around 100,000 baht to make -- can be put on a pickup car truck and put on any piece of farm land or in a mountainous forest.
Haze becomes annual environmental and health problems for nine northern provinces. Forest fire and open burning for clearing farm waste are culprits.
"I am an energy engineer by profession. Seeing farm waste being burnt is upsetting as we know it can be reused as fuel and fertilisers."
He believes the machine can change the behaviour of farmers. "Just imagine if every farming community in the north was using this machine. It would reduce the large-scale open-air burning, with the farm waste being converted into organic fertilisers or soil nourishers," says Boonkoom, who decided not to patent for the machine and open up the technology for any individuals or organisations to develop it further.
The machine is funded by US$5,500 (181,000 baht) donation from the Rotary Club Lampang, whose mission is to help the province solve the haze problem. "The technology is not innovative at all. I just made the machine portable and practical to use in small farms."
The Biomass Shredder, which weighs only 120 kilogrammes, can shred three tonnes of agricultural waste per day and costs only 100 baht for diesel fuel. That is much more affordable and attractive compared to the cost of hauling waste from farms to sell to biomass energy plants, or disposing it outside. It costs at least 2,000 baht a trip to hire a 10-tonne truck to dispose four tonnes of farm waste.
The Rotary Club Lampang is planning to donate two machines to nearby communities this weekend. The first is an organic farming community in Harng Chatra district and the other a community in Muang district.
Nantawat Chaimongkon, a farmer in Harng Chatra district, looks forward to using the machine next week. "Local farmers have shown interest in the machine, though it takes time to raise awareness about it and enforce the law that makes farmers stop burning," he said.
The Rotary Club Lampang is holding an event on Jan 24 at Wat Tah Kua Temple in Muang district to hand out the machines to the communities. Another event is the bicycling tour in the community that lets riders take photos to send to the organisers for prizes. The cycling event aims to raise funds for building and promoting this new bit of technology among farmers and hopefully this home-grown machine will prevent smoke from getting into our eyes in the near future.
For more information on the Sunday morning venue, contact 089-191-3617 or 081-952-3524.
Boonkoom Boonyasopath, energy engineer and board member of Rotary Club Lampang, who invented the 'biomass shredder' to reduce open burning in farm area. Boonkoom did not get a patent for the machine and wished more community farmers could develop the machine.
