2 days ago
Pollution control centre could tend to rivers
Conservationists are demanding the government establish a pollution control centre in Chiang Rai province to tackle arsenic contamination in the Kok and Mekong rivers.
They believe it would be a better alternative to its proposed 7-billion-baht sediment barrier project. Speaking at a seminar hosted by the National Human Rights Committee (NHRC), Pianporn Deetes, regional campaigns director for International Rivers, said the contamination in the Kok, Sai, Ruak, and Mekong rivers was a result of unregulated gold mining in Myanmar's Shan State, particularly by Chinese companies.
The heavy metal disposal resulted in deteriorated water quality, particularly in more acidic water, which led to an impact on residents' health and wellbeing.
Niwat Roikaew, the head of a local conservation group, Rak Chiang Khong, criticised the government's attempt to address the issue by comparing it with the border issues with Cambodia. "[The river contamination] is also a kind of war. It is a crisis for the Mekong sub-region. It doesn't affect only Thailand, but regional security," he said.
Ms Pianporn and Mr Niwat referred to the planned construction of the Pak Beng dam in Laos which could block river flow in the Mekong. As a result, the contamination would accumulate in stagnant water, causing damage for the next 100 years at least.
Arwira Phakkamat, director of Regional Environmental and Pollution Control Office 1, said the water samples were first collected in March. The office has done the quality test at least nine times so far, with the contamination results fluctuating from time to time. He said budget constraints and complaints from business operators in the area have raised questions about how to deal with the issue.
Penchom Saetang, director of Ecological Alert and Recovery–Thailand (EARTH), suggested the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment work with the Public Health Ministry to address risks to locals. "Tangible measures like how to compensate for an economic loss or how to reduce tax for impacted people should be addressed, while elevating the issue into a cross-border pollution issue at the Asean level," she said.
The Hill Area and Community Development Foundation (HADF) said the group had heard about the sediment barrier project, which so far lacks a proper environmental impact assessment. A member said the project could pose risks, and that other means to address the issue should be considered too. In the seminar, the civil sector also mentioned effects on people's mental health. Many locals have suffered from depression as they see no solutions for the rivers.
