Pictures courtesy of Matichon

The Bo Thong Subdistrict Administrative Organisation (SAO) has found that wastewater from four out of six inspection points linked to Chinese-owned factories failed basic treatment standards, amid reports of polluted canals and mass fish deaths in Kabin Buri district, Prachin Buri province. Authorities have ordered the immediate halt of discharges and are preparing legal action under environmental and public health laws.

The investigation follows complaints from residents who, on 4 January 2026, reported black, foul-smelling water flowing from a wastewater retention pond at an industrial estate in Bo Thong into a public canal around Nong Khon swamp. The canal is a raw water source for village tap water in two communities and feeds into the Pra Prong stream, a tributary of the Prachin Buri River, raising concerns over wider downstream impacts.

On 5 January 2026, Bo Thong SAO officials inspected canals in villages 6 and 9 and coordinated with the Bo Thong Industrial Estate to stop emergency discharges and apply EM treatment. According to SAO permanent secretary Nitcharee Noraphatcharee, the SAO lacks its own sampling equipment, but preliminary checks across six points found four did not meet standards, indicating untreated wastewater.

Later the same day, Kabin Buri district officials, village leaders, the SAO and Prachin Buri fisheries officers jointly inspected three locations. At the outer drainage canal around Nong Khon swamp, water was turbid with a foul smell and dead fish present, but pH and dissolved oxygen (DO) levels were normal. Behind an industrial company, the upstream Huai Sanab canal was dark, with two company ponds and a discharge pipe; samples showed alkaline pH and zero oxygen.

At the Huai Sanab canal sluice gate, water was black and malodorous, with alkaline pH and DO measured at 4, within normal range. The provincial industrial office is scheduled to conduct detailed testing of water discharged from the company’s pipes to support further enforcement.

The SAO ordered the estate to seal drainage outlets, but officials reported the pipe mouth had not been fully closed, with wooden boards used instead. Alum-filled nets were placed to treat outflow while water continued to drain, prompting concerns over ongoing contamination.

Matichon reported that Sunthorn Komkhai, a parliamentary candidate for Prachin Buri Constituency 3 from the People’s Party, said factories in the estate include Chinese-owned paper cup and steel re-rolling plants. He warned that discharges entering the Pra Prong stream could affect upstream Kabin Buri, midstream Si Maha Phot and Muang Prachin Buri and downstream Chachoengsao before reaching the Gulf of Thailand, which supplies water for consumption.

Key Takeaways

• Four of six wastewater inspection points linked to Chinese-owned factories failed treatment standards.

• Polluted canals showed black water, foul odours and fish deaths, with mixed pH and oxygen readings.

• Authorities have ordered discharge stoppages and are preparing legal action pending detailed tests.

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Adapted by ASEAN Now from Matichon2026-01-07

 

 

Not surprised

The Chinese have destroyed many parts of China through uncontrolled pollution; for decades China has been exporting high pollution production facilities overseas; for example, the Chinese-owned and controlled rare earth mining facilities in Laos and Myanmar are polluting water ways in those countries, with the pollution flowing into Thailand and Viet Nam.