ENVIRONMENTALISTS are calling on the Industrial Works Department to map all industries in every water basin and boost penalties for pollution in order to prevent a tragedy such as the mass death of stingrays in the Mae Klong River.
Meanwhile, Pollution Control Department (PCD) said that related agencies, including the PCD, had filed lawsuits against Rajburi Ethanol Company for polluting the Mae Klong River. The case, filed at Bang Pong Police Station, ensured that there would be a tighter monitoring system, which will include public participation.
Penchom Saetang, executive director of Ecological Alert and Recovery-Thailand (EARTH), said the mass death of freshwater stingrays was only part of the problem when it came to industrial pollution, adding that a proper pollution monitoring system and database was required to deal with this problem.
“Water pollution is a very severe issue in Thailand, especially in the Chao Phraya River Basin and upper Gulf of Thailand. Hence, the Industrial Works Department should do a proper mapping of the industrial factories in all water basins and build a central database, so when pollutants are leaked, the factory behind it can be easily identified,” Penchom said.
She also encouraged the industry regulator to boost penalties for those causing the pollution, as now many factories prefer to pay the fine instead of improving their wastewater treatment system, which costs more.
“The law on industry and pollution is not bad, but the penalties are too low, so the law cannot solve the problem. The Industry Ministry should consider amending their Factory Act and making the punishment heavier,” she stressed.
Rajburi Ethanol Co was fined just Bt200,000 for violating the Factory Act after it was caught releasing molasses directly into the Mae Klong River from its factory in Ratchaburi’s Ban Pong district, which caused the mass death of stingrays in Samut Songkhram. Environmentalists protested against this move, demanding that the company be heavily penalised.
Penchom has also suggested that the country have pollutant release and transfer registers (PRTRs) law, so factories are forced to identify the amount of waste and toxic substances that are regularly part of this waste.
She pointed out that this would help the authorities to easily track the pollutants, which will make factory operators think twice before releasing anything in the environment, which in turn would relieve the pollution problem.
PCD director-general Wijarn Simachaya, meanwhile, said the department has already filed a case with Ban Pong Police Station, and related agencies, such as the Fisheries Department, were now gathering information on the damages and would sue the company as well.
“Rajburi Ethanol clearly violated the Enhancement and Conservation of National Environmental Quality Act and perhaps other laws. So, it will face more lawsuits and punishment ahead,” Wijarn said.
For monitoring and preventing similar problems in the future, he said the authorities already had measures to regulate factories, but emphasised that the public sector was the key to helping the government regulate factories, and should work alongside officials.
Samut Songkhram Governor Kanchat Tansatien said that to prevent further disasters, people living along the river should help the authorities monitor changes to the water quality and signs of fish deaths, so this can be reported to relevant agencies in time.
“We are downstream and there isn’t much we can do [about water quality]. However, within the province, we have asked farmers to avoid using too many chemicals in their farms and encouraged business operators and people living in the vicinity, to not directly drain waste into the river,” he said.