Plea for an environment-friendly Loy Krathong

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LOY KRATHONG FESTIVAL
Plea for an environment-friendly Loy Krathong
Janjira Pongrai
The Nation



BANGKOK: -- INSTEAD OF USING plastic or synthetic foam vessels to celebrate the Loy Krathong festival, environmentalists are urging people to use more biodegradable materials.

They suggest making krathong from environment-friendly vegetables from the backyard garden, like bitter gourd, papaya and pumpkins, to reduce pollution.

The move comes after the Department of Environment Quality Promotion found the number of vessels made from plastic or synthetic foam had increased substantially in the past few years, causing environmental pollution.

According to the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA), the number of vessels floated in the river to celebrate last year's Loy Krathong festival was 916,354. Of this amount, 693,976 were made from banana leaves, 131,338 from plastic and 91,040 from other natural materials.

The Natural Resources and Environment Ministry has suggested people use vegetables and plants like bitter gourd, papaya, pumpkin, banana blossom, roselle or the vegetable hummingbird tree as alternative materials for the vessels.

Loy Krathong Day is celebrated each year on the full-moon day of the 12th lunar month. Thai people pay their respects to the river goddess Ganga and apologise for having used, or done anything bad to, the river. They put flowers, candles and joss sticks into a small vessel and float it down the river to pay homage to Buddha and Ganga.

Evolution of floats

2008

Total floats: 929,329

Made with banana leaf: 759,918

With styrofoam: 117,997

Other natural materials: 51,414


2009

Total floats: 882,418

Made with banana leaf: 717,847

With styrofoam: 112,854

Other natural materials: 51,171


2010

Total floats: 946,838

Made with banana leaf: 767,533

With styrofoam: 118,575

Other natural |materials: 60,730


2011

Total floats: 322,779

Made with banana leaf: 237,718

With styrofoam: 57,837

Other natural materials: 27,224


2012

Total floats: 916,354

Made with banana leaf: 693,976

With styrofoam: 131,338

Other natural materials: 91,040

Source: Department of Environment Quality Promotion


-- The Nation 2013-11-12

[noitom]

Thais should be volunteering aid and support for their ASEAN brothers in the Philippines. No news of any rich Thais stepping up to offer assistance, financial aid, food, military support. Self centered, self absorbed Thais don't eve bother to pay attention to a global tragedy in their own backyard as long as it is not directly impacting Thailand.

[willyumiii]

In my area, I see most are made not of banana leaves, but a slice of the banana tree's trunk.

A 2-3" thick slice floats very well ,and is biodegradable.

I assumed this was a common practice in all of Thailand, but see no mention of it in your article.

Attached is a photo of a loy kathrong floats being constructed form a banana tree trunk slice.

P.S. What the heck does Loy Kathrong have to do with the Philippines?

Are we a little off topic Noitom??

[Thailion]

2012

Total floats: 916,354

Made with banana leaf: 693,976

With styrofoam: 131,338

Other natural materials: 91,040

Source: Department of Environment Quality Promotion

Seriously....who counts these?? Or is it a number plucked from the backside??

Then there are the millions of firework debris, spent khom loys, beer cans/bottles and all other rubbish that gets dumped in the river during this festival.

In saying that I still enjoy this festival to say sorry for abusing the water by...of course...abusing it some more!

[Pomthai]

I reckon backside numbers. There's no way these are counted. These are just spewed numbers in a half hearted effort to convince a moron some other moron counted them and therefore justify the huge amount of public funds wasted on alleged counting them.

Just no way it happened. IMHO of course.

[ginjag]

Will there be a national Loy Krathong this year, ?? Will it be toppled ?? Pattaya rarely celebrates Loy Krathong, they celebrate LOY KRATHOY.

[ginjag]

Majority of rural Thais use "friendly" materials Banana trunk slices-base---leaves for the top, with flowers. candles are not so friendly.25-30 bht does the job anyway.

The ones USUALLY guilty are the Hi SO type who have very large Poly St., base and plastics, because of the size unfriendly materials are used IN GENERAL.

Target the rich as they more often than not the culprits, and in my experience vast amount of them try to out do each other to show off their large Krathongs. Like my business is bigger than yours. Believe it or not this occurs. but in general people do enjoy the festival.

One sad side is this threat to AIRCRAFT with these lanterns, the other black side to it is some materials used are VERY suspect. Enjoy the festival.

[mok199]

thais would starve to death with out plastic bags and foam bowls..

[Fullstop]

The plea will fall on deaf ears. It's just not gonna happen. Fact.

[Thaddeus]

In my area, I see most are made not of banana leaves, but a slice of the banana tree's trunk.

A 2-3" thick slice floats very well ,and is biodegradable.

Same here.

Last year most people walked down to the local lake carrying home-made Krathongs, totally biodegradable.

Easy to do out in the sticks though.

[sensei]

Thais should be volunteering aid and support for their ASEAN brothers in the Philippines. No news of any rich Thais stepping up to offer assistance, financial aid, food, military support. Self centered, self absorbed Thais don't eve bother to pay attention to a global tragedy in their own backyard as long as it is not directly impacting Thailand.

Your response doesn't have anything to do with the original post but you are making perfect sense here.

Thank you,

Sensei, a Filipino

[JulesMad]

These numbers are ridiculous You really believe someone is counting them???