will they ever make the beaches safe to swim at by cleaning it up?

NO

Personally I hate swimming on any beach. That darned sand is just too hot and gets in my eyes and armpits.

Seriously, let's hope they do something with both beach and water.

A few months ago in another thread on the same subject, the TV posters blamed the beach/water pollution on the Isaan workers in Pattaya. Other Thai and all expats/western tourists innocent of the crime?

Personally, water of pattaya beach is quite clean for me.

Please read the latest news clippings and travel warnings......pollution is nothing compared to the human counterpart.

Please read the latest news clippings and travel warnings......pollution is nothing compared to the human counterpart.

I was driving along Beach Rd the other day and the smell made me throw up.

Please read the latest news clippings and travel warnings......pollution is nothing compared to the human counterpart.

I was driving along Beach Rd the other day and the smell made me throw up.

...and was the smell from the beach, water, or "human counterpart?"

Please read the latest news clippings and travel warnings......pollution is nothing compared to the human counterpart.

I was driving along Beach Rd the other day and the smell made me throw up.

Is that what made your eyes go funny as well?

Please read the latest news clippings and travel warnings......pollution is nothing compared to the human counterpart.

I was driving along Beach Rd the other day and the smell made me throw up.

Is that what made your eyes go funny as well?

Amazing how you notice these things more when you no longer like the place.

Please read the latest news clippings and travel warnings......pollution is nothing compared to the human counterpart.

I was driving along Beach Rd the other day and the smell made me throw up.

Is that what made your eyes go funny as well?

Both my eyes fell out when I threw up.

Some studies on illnesses caused by swimming shows it's actually not from contact with the water, rather from contact with the beach sand that usually carried a pretty heavy bacterial load.

Are there any figures re pollution/sea quality available for Thai beaches? In the same way they are for all European beaches, that is?

I contracted conjunctivitis at Samui one time, and apparently that's quite coimmon with scuba divers there.

Some studies on illnesses caused by swimming shows it's actually not from contact with the water, rather from contact with the beach sand that usually carried a pretty heavy bacterial load.

I wouldn't worry about it too much. The city regularly tests the water and if there's too much bacteria or pollution they'll post warning signs (which are impossible to overlook, although beach vendors have been known to take them down). Unfortunately they don't put these warnings up on their website, so you won't know about it until you get down to the beach.

***edit**

I have never found any info about pollution studies of thai beaches.

I susepct you won't as the Thais wouldn't want to scare the tourists off

as there are hardly any waste water treatment plants at any beaches

I would suspect most would fail the tests carried out in Europe

they would need to build a waste water sewage plant somewhere inland and redirect the raw sewage outlets that empty out onto the beach to that plant . This would cost a lot ,too much so its unlikely to happen soon.

they would need to build a waste water sewage plant somewhere inland and redirect the raw sewage outlets that empty out onto the beach to that plant . This would cost a lot ,too much so its unlikely to happen soon.

It's not so much the placement of the sewage plant, it's the ability of the plant to do a good job. Theoretically, the water that exits a treatment plant SHOULD be clean enough to drink from the outfall pipe.

In the early eighties Pattaya was known as the Pearl of Asia due to its pristine waters, then came the pollution and tourists stopped coming!

Pattaya went into a majoy downturn, now its popular again, not with the watersport folk though.

After 20> years they aint going to clean up the water!

Try Jomtien.

with the amount of money they make from tourism in thailand they could easily do it

and the question is if they wish to attract more families why on earth don't they do it

Try Jomtien.

I usually use Jomtien beaches if the family want a day by the sea.

But even these beaches / sea are now polluted. Water quality has deteriorated, more noisy jet=skis, banana boats, so on.

I am now travelling even further South to find quiter, better beaches for swimming.

they would need to build a waste water sewage plant somewhere inland and redirect the raw sewage outlets that empty out onto the beach to that plant . This would cost a lot ,too much so its unlikely to happen soon.

It's not so much the placement of the sewage plant, it's the ability of the plant to do a good job. Theoretically, the water that exits a treatment plant SHOULD be clean enough to drink from the outfall pipe.

Have I missed something? For years they were building a wastewater treatment plant just off the Siam Country Club road and during that time they dug up what seemed at the time like every sodding road in Pattaya. What happened to it?

Don't tell me, I think I've just seen the light. Something about not being of sufficient capacity, not finished and developing cracks as it sunk into the swampy land it was built on.

Agreed, so do I, but not everybody have the luxury of transportation or knowledge to do that, and Jomtien beach is acceptable for most people and a LOT better than Pattaya beach.

while still far from perfect, the cosy beach between pattaya and jomtien is probably the best option for those who don't want to travel far, only downside is that you have about 100 steps to walk up/down. Also the beach near the Asia hotel is a lot cleaner than either pattaya/jomtien.

I use sugar beach.

Both Jomtien and Wong Amat have sewage outlets.

Jomtien had a burst sewer flowing into it for some time

Jomtien?

I thought the water there looked even worse than at Pattaya personally and there were jetskies galore

Only beach "near" pattaya i'd swim at are the ones on Koh samet though even there the resorts empty raw sewage into the sea

well weell this makes VERY interesting reading

http://64.233.183.104/search?q=cache:fAox0...t=clnk&cd=1

according to this Jomntien is the most polluted in the country

and Pattaya already has a waste water treatment plant that hotels have been hooked up to for a good few years.

pattaya must be beyond repair then. this is definately food for thought though for all those that think Jomtien is the better option