Just One-Fifth Of Wastewater In Thailand Is Being Treated

[webfact]

Just one-fifth of wastewater is being treated

Janjira Pongrai

Pongphon Sarnsamak

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Nearly half of the country's existing wastewater-treatment facilities have run into problems, and at present capacity, just one fifth of Thailand's wastewater is being treated.

"Every day, communities, factories and farms release 14.8 million cubic metres of wastewater," Pollution Control Department director general Wichien Jungrungruang said. "Of that amount, only 3.2 million goes into the proper treatment systems."

Wichien said that Bt83 billion has been spent on the construction of 101 wastewatertreatment plants. Construction on 91 of those has already been completed, but 20 are not working properly.

"Some parts of the systems are malfunctioning," Wichien said.

Local authorities are unable to maintain their systems because they cannot collect wastewater treatment fees and because they lack adequate technical knowledge.

"In some areas, the systems are simply not comprehensive enough," Wichien said.

Apart from the malfunctioning treatment plants, 28 others are discharging poorly treated water.

"The quality of water from these wastewatertreatment facilities is not up to standards," he said.

These include facilities in Mueang Sukhothai, Mueang Map Ta Phut in Rayong and Nong Khaem in Bangkok.

"At this point, we have just 43 good wastewatertreatment facilities in place," Wichien said.

Wastewater Management Authority director Pairoj Sattayasankul admitted that many existing facilities were in disarray.

"We have now requested a budget of Bt270 million to revive nine facilities in key cities such as Songkhla, Chon Buri, Chiang Mai and Prachuap Khiri Khan," Pairoj said.

Most of these facilities had been completely abandoned for four or five years now, he said.

"After we revive them, we will then need money to keep them in operation," Pairoj added.

The government should consider collecting wastewatertreatment fees from households, Pairoj recommended. The idea might sound impossible today but it would be better for the long run, he said.

"The wastewatertreatment fee should be at Bt3 per cubic metre of wastewater," he said.

Pairoj said his organisation would work with local administrative bodies in raising public awareness of the need to finance the wastewatertreatment facilities.

"The process may take a few years," he said.

Meanwhile, the Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning (Onep), has embarked on construction of eight new wastewatertreatment facilities with a budget of Bt770 million.

"Our representatives will sit on the design panel for these new facilities," Wichien said of the Onep projects.

The new plants will be in Mueang Phetchabun, Chiang Rai's Mae Sai Municipality, Khon Kaen's Mueang Ban Phai, Surin's Tambon Tha Toom, Mueang Tak, Prachuap Khiri Khan's Hua Hin, Surin's Tambon Wong Kong and Nakhon Ratchasima's Kud Chik Municipality.

The Wastewater Management Authority has also recently secured Bt3.7 billion for construction of wastewatertreatment systems in the Om Noi and Om Yai areas of Samut Sakhon and Nakhon Pathom. Construction of the facility in Om Noi is set to begin next year.

"In addition, we have been seeking a budget for Bt3 billion for the construction of the wastewatertreatment facility in Pathum Thani," Pairoj said.

On the longabandoned Klong Dan wastewatertreatment plant, Pairoj said his agency would consult with the Pollution Control Department about possible solutions.

Located in Samut Prakan, the Klong Dan plant would have provided wastewater treatment for 1.2 million residents and around 4,000 factories, but the project was plagued by corruption and lack of environment impact assessment and was largely opposed by the local community.

"If we will revive this plant, we will need a budget of about Bt4.6 billion," Pairoj said.

-- The Nation 2012-07-20

[geriatrickid]

Finally, an acknowledgement of the situation. I am sure some apologist will come along and say, it's not as bad as all that, but it is.

[mayday49]

Finally, an acknowledgement of the situation. I am sure some apologist will come along and say, it's not as bad as all that, but it is.

TROLL

[maidu]

Finally, an acknowledgement of the situation. I am sure some apologist will come along and say, it's not as bad as all that, but it is.

TROLL

why scream 'troll'? I agree with GK.

I'm a bit surprised that there's admission of inadequacies by authorities. Even home septic systems are probably inadequate. I've looked at new plastic septic tanks for sale, and their designs are faulty. I could go in to detail, but suffice to say they won't do the function they're supposed to do.

One BIG challenge for municipal waste water treatment in Thailand, is most of the population settles in flat places with soils which don't 'percolate'. In other words, there is no slope to work with, and non-perc'ing soil necessitates holding ponds and lagoons, which are prone to failures, if Thai authorities are put in charge. I wouldn't be surprised if they add detergents (and harmful chemicals) to sewage, which will only exacerbate the problem. Then there's annual flooding....... which spreads the filth all over. I'm surprised there aren't a lot more outbreaks of disease.

[mistitikimikis]

Finally, an acknowledgement of the situation. I am sure some apologist will come along and say, it's not as bad as all that, but it is.

TROLL

why scream 'troll'? I agree with GK.

I'm a bit surprised that there's admission of inadequacies by authorities. Even home septic systems are probably inadequate. I've looked at new plastic septic tanks for sale, and their designs are faulty. I could go in to detail, but suffice to say they won't do the function they're supposed to do.

One BIG challenge for municipal waste water treatment in Thailand, is most of the population settles in flat places with soils which don't 'percolate'. In other words, there is no slope to work with, and non-perc'ing soil necessitates holding ponds and lagoons, which are prone to failures, if Thai authorities are put in charge. I wouldn't be surprised if they add detergents (and harmful chemicals) to sewage, which will only exacerbate the problem. Then there's annual flooding....... which spreads the filth all over. I'm surprised there aren't a lot more outbreaks of disease.

Let's NOT point at only the industry, what about the widespread household-pollution? Here a bit of text belonging to some twenty photos I made during the first stade of the 2011-flood in the suburbs of BKK:

"This series of photos is showing how a real estate-developer can start his project without any inspection from the local authorities, at least what is concerning the uncontrolled sewage-water disposal. This doesn't concern "only" one road but, as the first photo shows, the roads in the whole (hugh) area I may suppose!

The red area shows the source of the flooding caused by rain- mixed with sewer-water in only one road. This dead-ending road borders paddy-fields, a public road and a canal at 300 meters distance. The white area shows where a main canal is running.

Since the development, around 15 years ago, the two sewers of this road were left ending just at the other side of the property-wall (second, third and fourth photo).

It all went "smooth" because the surroundings were quit clean and not over-grown by weeds and trees, so it could run away in the direction of the paddy-fields. "Smooth" apart from the hygienic point of view. The local health-authorities of .................., the local official administration, should never have accepted this smelling and unhealthy situation as a sewer-outlet at twenty meters from the first house of the road. Now, with the ongoing monsoons the local water doesn't run off where it should go anymore but runs to lower situated areas, i.e. the roads."

[KLL]

20% treated ( more or less ) ?? !!

Every day, communities, factories and farms release 14.8 million cubic metres of wastewater

house holds ( with or without septic tanks ) NOT INCLUDED ??

[JoePai]

The problem is the Thai's have a word missing from their language - that word is Maintenance

[sunshine51]

The remaining 4/5 ths of the untreated effluent gets pumped directly

into Patong Bay.

[Ricardo]

I don't think the OP will come as any great surprise, to any tourist who's been to Pattaya, the 'Thailand Miracle' is that they ever return to Thailand again.

[EarthAlien]

The problem is the Thai's have a word missing from their language - that word is Maintenance

Actually,.. that's only one of a few,.. lets add *Responsibility, *Accountability & good old *Common Sense!

[lovetotravel]

Doesn't bode well for those who drink tap water, does it???

[OzMick]

"in Samut Prakan, the Klong Dan plant........... was largely opposed by the local community."

You have to love NIMBYs. But this one is easy to fix - you go to the outlet valve for the areas sewerage and you shut it. Amazingly quickly the locals will think a treatment plant is a great asset to the community.

[cup-O-coffee]

You can swing a dead cat and hit a problem in the countries infrastructure and management systems.

Take your pick.

It would be interesting to see how this compares on a world scale, simply to keep things balanced in their views and opinions.

Ya cain't trust nuthin' these days. It's the world we live in. Dag-nammit!

[Crushdepth]

I'm surprised its that high. I have to wonder how they define 'treated'.

[jambodave]

Treated to what? a meal or maybe a nice weekend away

[LucidLucifer]

The problem is the Thai's have a word missing from their language - that word is Maintenance

I agree, but maintenance costs money and we shouldn't forget that Thailand is still a developing country; that money isn't always there.

It doesn't help that a sizable percentage of money that is available is often spirited away in shady dealings.

I'm surprised its that high. I have to wonder how they define 'treated'.

Very loosely I imagine.

[slapout]

The man points out that the present situation stims from lack of knowledge, corruption, lack of maintance, collection of fees, etc. Another case of wanting the Thai general public to pay for facilities that benifet a few.

I would think, someone could come with a plan which could/would be paid for by those using the system. Progress in this country could to be measured in 1 step forward and 2 steps back. The real problem is those leading the way (in the retreat) are those elected/appointed/hired to do the job right in the first place.

[Thai at Heart]

Seafood dinner anyone?

[mistitikimikis]

Doesn't bode well for those who drink tap water, does it???

Tap-water is 100% save as a director of the water-company once explained: "the water is (heavily?) treated with chlorine and................. in the case of a leak, the water in the supplying tube is under pressure.................." (so no bactery can swim upstream)

[Crushdepth]

Doesn't bode well for those who drink tap water, does it???

Tap-water is 100% save as a director of the water-company once explained: "the water is (heavily?) treated with chlorine and................. in the case of a leak, the water in the supplying tube is under pressure.................." (so no bactery can swim upstream)

Except the water mains were often lain alongside the sewers. And if the pipes are cracked, 'shit gets in'.

[cup-O-coffee]

The problem is the Thai's have a word missing from their language - that word is Maintenance

I agree, but maintenance costs money and we shouldn't forget that Thailand is still a developing country; that money isn't always there.

It doesn't help that a sizable percentage of money that is available is often spirited away in shady dealings.

I'm surprised its that high. I have to wonder how they define 'treated'.

Very loosely I imagine.

The "developing country" card is getting suspect.

A country does not develop except through ages and ages of geological events. It is the undeveloped minds that are being kept undeveloped (by design, culture and genetics) so Thailand can remain just that; undeveloped. Hence, no solutions and only more problematic events to come... continuously.

The only things I see that are "developed" are things that come from other places outside of this hunk of land on the world map. The people that occupy it are constantly screwing up the concepts of those things that are brought in.

There was an old man sitting on a park bench, when along comes a worker in his new JCB Backhoe from Japan, digging holes every 10 meters or so. Some time after that, another worker comes along in his new Caterpillar backhoe from the USA, and is filling the holes back in.

The old man asked the worker why he is filling in the holes that his fellow worker had dug.

The worker said that the man who was supposed to plant the trees called in sick today.

Amazing Thailand!

[lovetotravel]

Doesn't bode well for those who drink tap water, does it???

Tap-water is 100% save as a director of the water-company once explained: "the water is (heavily?) treated with chlorine and................. in the case of a leak, the water in the supplying tube is under pressure.................." (so no bactery can swim upstream)

Chlorine doesn't take care of heavy metals discharged by factories. Only bugs.

[mistitikimikis]

Doesn't bode well for those who drink tap water, does it???

Tap-water is 100% save as a director of the water-company once explained: "the water is (heavily?) treated with chlorine and................. in the case of a leak, the water in the supplying tube is under pressure.................." (so no bactery can swim upstream)

Chlorine doesn't take care of heavy metals discharged by factories. Only bugs.

Who cares about heavy metals??? Remember the Clitty Creek-scandal?

[Estrada]

The figure of 14.8 Million cu.metres of effluent per day is wrong. He has only taken the text book standard of 200Litres per person per day based on the populaton of Thailand of 74 Million, however this is water consumption. Industrial water, commerical and hospital use needs to be added on. As a former MD of a Water and Waste Treatment Company in the UK since 1974, I came to Thailand on my first business trip in 1982 and discovered that the Thais had no concept of pollution. It was natural for the waste water from the hotels, houses, factories and buildings to run into the nearest khlong or flow down the road into the sea. When I suggested that the waste water running from the Hotel I was staying in to the sea, should be treated in a waste treatment plant, they thought I was crazy. I soon discovered that the only waste treatment plants in Thailand were built by the American Forces during the Vietnam War. The only sewage treatment plant in Pattaya in 1982 was at the hotel on Soi 2 Beach road Pattaya (where the original bus station was). A Thai friend was the first to put in a full sewage treament at his hotel in Pattaya, not so much because he wanted to do something for the environment, but because the Mafia were charging huge sums for tankered water to water the gardens. Soon other friends realised that installing full treatment plants could give a payback through recovery of precious water. For some years we pushed for the installation of a central water treatment plant but this was opposed by the mafia who controlled the water. I suggested that the only way of getting a plant was if Somchai Khumpluem had an interest in it, and so this was suggested and low and behold he formed Summit Grade Company that built and ran the first treatment plant.

The cost of imported treatment plants detered Thais from installing sewage plants and so I introduced a low cost design which was promptly copied by most of the Thai Waste Treatment Engineers even in one case, copying my Company's brochure and just changing the Company name. This low cost design kicked off the wholesale installation of waste treament plants, and then the plastic factories that were making the tanks and media for the engineers started selling direct, bypassing the engineers. The had no idea about waste treatment but knew generally what size plant was for a particular population equivalent. A full treament plant needs an aeration pump to reach the normal European/International waste treatment standard of B.O.D. 25mg/l. Not wanting the higher capital and running costs, the Thais amended their pollution control standard to allow 60mg/l which a septic tank with media but no aeration can produce in the tropical climates. So most of the plants that exist are still discharging only partially treated effluent with high levels of bacteria and high BOD which can take all the oxygen out of a water course and kill the fish. I have worked on Khlong Dan and one of the 7 x 1 Million Pop. BMA plants. Khlong Dan is a mess due to political interference in the design of the waste treament plant process which required all effluent, industrial and domestic to be treated in one biological treatment plant. The plant would take effluent from a number of heavily polluting industries including the tanneries association in Samut Prakarn. Therefore toxic heavy metals such as Chrome and lead will be received by the plant and will kill off the bacterialogical process. I doubt whether we will see Khlong Dan treatment plant ever run as a central treatment plant for Samut Prakarn. And the PCD has still not paid ADB for the plant even though the Arbitration Court ordered them to pay. I am sure the PCD knows that it will not work and therefore is avoiding paying for it.

In my view, I doubt whether the stated 20% of working waste treatment plants is correct. If we want to work to International standards of discharge for the sake of the environment, there are probably few plants that will meet the standard. In summary, in the last 30 years at least we acheived widespread use of partial pretreatment of effluent and a number of centralised waste treatment plants. However, there is a very long way still to go.

[mistitikimikis]

And the local people are not aware: this man is "fishing" at ten mtrs. from the sewer-outlet of about one-hundred houses............... Well, the water has been "cleaned" by sceptic-tanks

[hangtenthaisurfer]

there is one company trying to make a difference offering free investment to large factories to treat the waste water as well as recycle the wastewater to be re-used again, they do the whole thing turnkey and make the investment as well. Reducing costs as well as saving the Environment for large factories. This article should also mention that there are companies like that trying to make a difference, company is called Environmental Care Management. http://www.ecm.co.th they are actively looking to invest in factories to recycle their waste water

[jaltsc]

Why do they call it "wastewater"? The water isn't being wasted. It is used for washing vegetables, feeding livestock, bathing, etc.

[mistitikimikis]

Why do they call it "wastewater"? The water isn't being wasted. It is used for washing vegetables, feeding livestock, bathing, etc.

[mrdome]

During my last visit to Bangkok this April, I thought the water coming out of the shower in the hotel smelled "men" - but not so in Phnom Penh.

[mistitikimikis]

During my last visit to Bangkok this April, I thought the water coming out of the shower in the hotel smelled "men" - but not so in Phnom Penh.

I'm glad that they over-chlorine here in BKK.............. (only it hurts a bit when rinsing my skin after shaving wet )