Villagers Doubt The Sincerity Of P C D Pledge To Clean Up Klity Creek

[Lite Beer]

Villagers doubt the sincerity of PCD pledge to clean up Klity Creek
Tanpisit Lerdbamrungchai
The Nation on Sunday

Children in Lower Klity Village show paintings expressing villagers

Residents of Kanchanaburi province's Lower Klity Village are sceptical about the Pollution Control Department (PCD)'s vow to clean up a local creek contaminated by lead, saying the department has not made a genuine effort to tackle the problem so far.

In January, the Supreme Administrative Court ordered the PCD to pay Bt3.8 million in compensation to 22 affected villagers living around Klity Creek and also to rehabilitate their local environment. The PCD is also required to draw up a rehabilitation plan for tainted water, soil and plants and to monitor its implementation for a year until lead levels drop to the standard level.

Last Friday, the PCD promised villagers the creek would be rehabilitated within three years, but Ya-Sue Nasuansuwan, one of the villagers to be compensated, is starting to wonder whether it will ever happen.

"These measures will be forgotten in the coming days," he said.

Previously, the PCD said rehabilitation would be achieved by leaving the creek to recover naturally. Ten years later, however, lead levels remain high.

"We hope that the creek will return to normal and recover from the lead contamination within three years," PCD director-general Wichian Jungrungreon said during a recent trip to hand over the compensation money.

Lower Klity Village is located inside the Thung Yai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary. An ore-dressing factory once operated near the village, but has since been closed. Wastewater from the factory released into the river caused the lead contamination.

The company that operated the plant closed it in 1988 but took insufficient steps to avoid pollution, installing a simple check dam made of rocks to keep lead-tainted sediment flowing to the 12-kilometre-long creek, and dredging only a portion of the sediment for underground storage.

The tainted sediment that was dredged has been stored in eight underground locations along the waterway. Last Friday, the PCD hired Better World Green Company at a cost of Bt7 million to unearth this tainted sediment and haul it away.

Because of a lack of funds, however, as of yesterday the company had removed only 570 cubic metres of sediment from four of the underground sites.

This first batch of lead-tainted sediment will be transferred to a secure landfill in Saraburi province. About 1,355 cubic metres of lead-tainted sediment are stored in the underground sites.

The dredging effort has not been sufficient to rehabilitate the creek, which continues to show high levels of lead contamination.

Wichian said his agency would collect samples of water and sediment; aquatic animals such as fish and shrimp; shells; and plants from the creek four times a year - in March, June, September and December - to monitor the creek's lead levels. The results will be announced to villagers via the office of the village headman, the district administration office and the local administration organisation.

Additionally, the PCD will construct a check dam in the creek to slow the water flow.

"I hope from now on nobody will say that we left the creek to recover naturally on its own. I think the PCD's measures go beyond the court's order," he said.

Villagers still use water from the creek for many activities in their daily lives, including for farming and washing dishes and clothes.

Surachai Trong-ngarm, director of Environmental Litigation and Advocacy for the Wants (EnLAW), a group providing legal aid for villagers, said that besides the creek-rehabilitation plan, government agencies should provide medical assistance for the affected villagers. They also need piped water for their daily activities as long as the water from the creek remains unsafe.

Ply Pirom, campaign manager at Greenpeace Southeast Asia, said if the PCD can successfully rehabilitate the creek, the process could serve as a model for resolving chronic lead contamination in other villages facing the same problem. He also called on the former owners of the now-shut lead-dressing factory to take responsibility.

-- The Nation 2013-03-31

[fareastguy]

T.I.T.

nothing more to be said ..

[chainarong]

T.I.T.

nothing more to be said ..

You said it

[Mampara]

Again a lot of hot air from political servants, whom we voted into power.

[Thai at Heart]

Wichian said his agency would collect samples of water and sediment; aquatic animals such as fish and shrimp; shells; and plants from the creek four times a year - in March, June, September and December - to monitor the creek's lead levels.

Either it's gone or not. I don't think lead degrades over time does it. If they do the dredging and a week later it's still there, surely, they just need to dredge some more.

[Utley]

"The company that operated the plant closed it in 1988 but took insufficient steps to avoid pollution, installing a simple check dam made of rocks to keep lead-tainted sediment flowing to the 12-kilometre-long creek, and dredging only a portion of the sediment for underground storage."

Just because the company ceased operations doesn't mean you can't go after the owners. Does anyone in Thailand know anything about investigative journalism or are they just too pragmatic to step on big toes?

[billd766]

Did anyone believe that the PCD would instantly fix it?

Given the treatment by the company and the government of all colours since 1988 the only thing the villagers had faith in was themselves.

The judgement was in their favour eventually and now they have to fight the PCD all over again to get them to do what the court odered them to do.

Where is the "Real PM" Superwoman when you need her once again?

[SOTIRIOS]

...since 1988......

[Raesum]

They had a benefit concert for this at Bangkok Arts and Cultural Centre about 2 years ago.It was a lovely show(cant remember who the main musician was) but it seemed like they had quite a few of the villagers there and lots of kids.They were crying out for HELP then......

[khunken]

Going on for years & no political party has lifted a finger - it's an absolute disgrace.

The PCD has made promises before & not kept them so the villagers are right to suspect that this time it will be no different.

I hate to say this, but the fact that these are Karen villagers wouldn't be the reason for the inactivity, would it?

[clockman]

"The company that operated the plant closed it in 1988 but took insufficient steps to avoid pollution, installing a simple check dam made of rocks to keep lead-tainted sediment flowing to the 12-kilometre-long creek, and dredging only a portion of the sediment for underground storage."

Just because the company ceased operations doesn't mean you can't go after the owners. Does anyone in Thailand know anything about investigative journalism or are they just too pragmatic to step on big toes?

Its too dangerous to step on big toes! guns for hire are cheap!