Phuket's Dirtiest Road Set For October Cleanup

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Phuket's dirtiest road set for October cleanup

A sign reading 'Don't dump trash here: 2,000 baht fine' has failed to deter illegal dumpers.

PHUKET: After months of dumped trash piling up along Pracha Uthit Road in Rassada, efforts to clean up the mess will start October 1, Rassada Municipality has confirmed.

Nichmon Keatmanee, Director of the municipality's Public Health and Environment Division, said: "We admit that Pracha Uthit Rd is under the responsibility of Rassada Municipality. We have a private company to pick up the trash and clean up the eight main roads in Rassada, but they are not required to clean along all of Pracha Uthit Rd,” she said.

The curving Pracha Uthit Rd runs north-south, roughly parallel to the bypass road.

The southern end has seen a great deal of development in recent years. The north end, visible from the bypass road near Premium Outlet Mall, continues to be a problem spot for trash dumping.

The trashing of the area is an on-going problem that has been the subject of several stories in the Gazette over the years.

The area is relatively undeveloped and most of the land along the road is vacant. This makes the area a prime target for would-be dumpers, Ms Nichmon said.

The clean-up company is responsible for only 2.5 kilometers of Pracha Uthit Rd, from Yaowarat Rd to Prachasamakki Rd, Ms Nichmon explained. The rest of the municipality’s 38 square kilometers must be maintained by just 12 workers, she added.

“Twelve workers are not enough to clean up the road every day, and our trash-management campaigns haven’t made a successful impact on all our residents,” she said.

“Rassada is quite different from other areas. The people here vary from millionaires to laborers. It’s hard to get their participation on any garbage campaign,” Ms Nichmon added.

However, the problem had not been ignored by Rassada Mayor Anuthin Lien-udom, she said.

The cleanup will start on October 1, the first day of the budget year, when a new company will be sought to ensure the cleanliness of all along Pracha Uthit Rd, and other roads in the municipality.

However, Rassada Deputy Mayor Chaolerd Jitjumnong urged residents not to rely on the municipality alone to keep the area clean.

“We would like to ask for more participation from the public with trash separation and to see more common sense in environmental conservation. It would be better if we helped each other, not just leave it to one organization to handle the problem,” he said.

The Gazette would like to thank concerned readers for once again bringing this problem to our attention.

-- Phuket Gazette 2010-09-15