New laws needed to save environment

[webfact]

New laws needed to save environment
Pongphon Sarnsamak
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- LEGAL CHANGES are needed to allow people more power to manage environmental problems at both local and national levels - as well as the establishment of environmental funds - to improve the quality of the environment, a seminar was told yesterday.

Such recommendations came from hundreds of environmental experts and civic groups attending the seminar about environmental management of the ecosystem and public participation.

Bantoon Setsirote, a director of the Good Governance for Social Development and Environment Institute (GSEI), said the participants had brainstormed environmental problems still plaguing the country and offered solutions.

To reduce the impact of industrial pollution, they said, the government must revise at least three laws relating to hazardous industrial waste and pollution management and control: the 1992 Enhancement and Conservation of National Environmental Quality Act, the 1992 Factory Act, and the 1992 Hazardous Material Act.

Revision of these three laws would allow locals to join the government in monitoring the mismanagement of hazardous industrial waste in local areas. Financial measures, such as setting up environmental funds to collect tax from polluters, would be another key solution.

Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) and Environmental and Health Impact Assessments (EHIAs) of projects deemed likely to be harmful to the environment and health must be reformed, speakers said.

There were many loopholes allowing project operators to easily get approval from state agencies, they said.

Currently, the owner of a possibly harmful project or activity can hire a consultant to make an EIA or EHIA.

As a result, environmental reports rarely appear to reflect the real problems and come up with effective measures to reduce the environmental impact.

To resolve this problem, an independent organisation tasked to compile the EIA and EHIA reports was needed.

Moreover, a strategic environmental assessment (SEA) to gauge the overall impact of a project - such as its social effects - was also needed to boost the quality of environment and living, Bantoon said.

The seminar was hosted by the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry at Impact Muang Thong Thani to mark the annual National Environmental Day.


-- The Nation 2013-12-05

[ChrisY1]

Oh yes....new environmental laws......that'll fix things!

No matter what new laws are legislated, corruption will be the deciding factor.

If Union Carbide wanted to open a plant in Thailand......it would just be a matter of paying more money to the right people...sadly!

[NongKhaiKid]

Law Enforcement ? An oxymoron here.

[jaltsc]

Oh Wow!!!! I suppose that will be the end of the burning season, and we will have clean air for the entire year

"...setting up environmental funds to collect tax from polluters, would be another key solution."

"Tax". All this probably means is that there will be more unenforced laws and more officials holding out their hands for tea money

It's amazing that there are all these predictions for the future. However, in my experience, the only thing that can be discussed with any type of certainty in Thailand is what happened in the past...and even then nothing is absolutely clear.

Edited December 5, 2013 by jaltsc

[KIWIBATCH]

Thailand....HUB of discarded (anywhere and everywhere) trash

[Local Drunk]

Thailand....HUB of discarded (anywhere and everywhere) trash

Yes, and I hate to like your post... but it's true. They haven't a clue. I saw an article in the Post this morning that reminded me of this one. A radiation incident in 2000.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samut_Prakan_radiation_accident

There's a detailed PDF file from the IAEA that's out the if you want to know more.

Edited December 5, 2013 by Local Drunk

[Keesters]

It is not laws that are needed, as they will never be enforced, it is education.

If you educate the people properly you'll not need the laws.

[mok199]

...thais need to learn to eat with out a foam bowl and a plastic bag....

[mok199]

Thailand....HUB of discarded (anywhere and everywhere) trash

yes but a majority of the trash can be eliminated...but thais dont get it....i take my own bag to buy friut and they try and put my bag inside another bag...it is very frustrating ,they are all programed to live a certain way,until they can be ''rechiped''..things will never change...as for me....i try to do my part...feed a dog,save a bag,tip a good waitress...think globally ,act locally....and try to educate your friiends and familly....

[jpeg]

Thailand....HUB of discarded (anywhere and everywhere) trash

yes but a majority of the trash can be eliminated...but thais dont get it....i take my own bag to buy friut and they try and put my bag inside another bag...it is very frustrating ,they are all programed to live a certain way,until they can be ''rechiped''..things will never change...as for me....i try to do my part...feed a dog,save a bag,tip a good waitress...think globally ,act locally....and try to educate your friiends and familly....

All very laudable but try getting them into the habit of taking those multi towered pot things every time they go to buy anything from curries to coke five times or more per day. Banana leaves for wrapping are so

yesterday

Edited December 5, 2013 by jpeg

[kuiburi]

Living out in the sticks we have to burn garbage , probably 50% of the people in Thailand do the same .

There is no garbagetruck neither a place to bring ur garbage .

People living along a river just dump it in the river so it floats to the sea .

Many western country's recycle there waste and make a lot of money of it , would be great if Thailand would have a look into this industrie .

Even if there would be a lot of corruption in this bussiness .

Woulden't mind to pay for cleaner air , rivers , and the sea .

[jpeg]

Living out in the sticks we have to burn garbage , probably 50% of the people in Thailand do the same .

There is no garbagetruck neither a place to bring ur garbage .

People living along a river just dump it in the river so it floats to the sea .

Many western country's recycle there waste and make a lot of money of it , would be great if Thailand would have a look into this industrie .

Even if there would be a lot of corruption in this bussiness .

Woulden't mind to pay for cleaner air , rivers , and the sea .

Here on Phuket the locals are great at recycling, but only the lucrative bits. Cans, bottles etc. The plastic bags, old mattresses and building rubbish are left in the once lovely sois. The local OrborJor did put up ONE sign threatening a 10k fine, but of course everyone ignored it. Some Thais have put up their own hand made signs. I believe the problem lies squarely on where to dump larger objects, as in Europe. The UK charges and the Thais wouldn't want to pay the cost of gasoline to take it to a designated dump, let alone pay an administration fee. solution? Dunno. But I still get the chills when I see some lazy arse throwing their plastic bags into the surrounding woodland from the pillion of a bike, or most recently, an elderly neighbour when on his daily walk. You'd think at least he'd have known better.

Education and penalties (strictly enforced) worked in the West, why not here?

[peterbkk9]

Living out in the sticks we have to burn garbage , probably 50% of the people in Thailand do the same .

There is no garbagetruck neither a place to bring ur garbage .

People living along a river just dump it in the river so it floats to the sea .

Many western country's recycle there waste and make a lot of money of it , would be great if Thailand would have a look into this industrie .

Even if there would be a lot of corruption in this bussiness .

Woulden't mind to pay for cleaner air , rivers , and the sea .

Here on Phuket the locals are great at recycling, but only the lucrative bits. Cans, bottles etc. The plastic bags, old mattresses and building rubbish are left in the once lovely sois. The local OrborJor did put up ONE sign threatening a 10k fine, but of course everyone ignored it. Some Thais have put up their own hand made signs. I believe the problem lies squarely on where to dump larger objects, as in Europe. The UK charges and the Thais wouldn't want to pay the cost of gasoline to take it to a designated dump, let alone pay an administration fee. solution? Dunno. But I still get the chills when I see some lazy arse throwing their plastic bags into the surrounding woodland from the pillion of a bike, or most recently, an elderly neighbour when on his daily walk. You'd think at least he'd have known better.

Education and penalties (strictly enforced) worked in the West, why not here?

In my soi I regularly see old mattresses, furniture and other large objects being dumped here and there.

Sometimes it stays there for months. I often have to hire someone with a pickup to remove it. And it only makes the matter worse because people think they can dump it there again as someone is taking care of it. And usually the next day it happens again. I see another bizarre large object (car windscreen, bidet...) dumped at the same location.

Edited December 5, 2013 by peterbkk9

[peterbkk9]

Living out in the sticks we have to burn garbage , probably 50% of the people in Thailand do the same .

There is no garbagetruck neither a place to bring ur garbage .

People living along a river just dump it in the river so it floats to the sea .

Many western country's recycle there waste and make a lot of money of it , would be great if Thailand would have a look into this industrie .

Even if there would be a lot of corruption in this bussiness .

Woulden't mind to pay for cleaner air , rivers , and the sea .

Here on Phuket the locals are great at recycling, but only the lucrative bits. Cans, bottles etc. The plastic bags, old mattresses and building rubbish are left in the once lovely sois. The local OrborJor did put up ONE sign threatening a 10k fine, but of course everyone ignored it. Some Thais have put up their own hand made signs. I believe the problem lies squarely on where to dump larger objects, as in Europe. The UK charges and the Thais wouldn't want to pay the cost of gasoline to take it to a designated dump, let alone pay an administration fee. solution? Dunno. But I still get the chills when I see some lazy arse throwing their plastic bags into the surrounding woodland from the pillion of a bike, or most recently, an elderly neighbour when on his daily walk. You'd think at least he'd have known better.

Education and penalties (strictly enforced) worked in the West, why not here?

In my soi I regularly see old mattresses, furniture and other large objects being dumped here and there.

Sometimes it stays there for months. I often have to hire someone with a pickup to remove it. And it only makes the matter worse because people think they can dump it there again as someone is taking care of it. And usually the next day it happens again. I see another bizarre large object (car windscreen, bidet...) dumped at the same location.

and to complete my last post, the last time I hired a pickup to clean the mess, the guy told me it would cost 1,000 baht because he had to drive quite far to dump it at a dump site near On Nut. Ok, fair enough, I pay. Then the next day I was driving around the block and discovered he dumped it in a nearby soi. He took my 1000 baht and never went to On Nut.

[belg]

educate the people

that it is not ok to burn trash and fields

[Felt 35]

Save the environment eh......reborn the Nation?

[wilcopops]

It seems there are a lot of people who in the absence of a real opinion think it's clever to bemoan the lack of enforcement of the law in Thailand.

Do any of these people know of ANY laws in Thailand relating to conservation or environment? The truth is there are virtually none. There ARE people who try to enforce what laws there are - and people have died trying to enforce them.

So to tar all Thai people with the same brush only serves to show how little these posters know about the issues involved and as a substitute for any real knowledge they just roll out the same old cliches they do for every other thread regardless of subject.

Those involved both Thai or foreign KNOW the enforcement problems and campaign for not just enforceable laws, but laws, regulations and education to bring about a sea-change in attitudes........and if you know Thailand you will be aware that there ARE changes afoot, not particularly from the top down but in grass roots opinion, which is how REAL change is made.

Edited December 5, 2013 by wilcopops

[timber]

When people take garbage across road and dump it what can you do. There is no garbage collection in our mooban.

Surrounding mooban's have it. I think at some point you have to look at what they can afford. If the same standards

were applied in Thailand as British Columbia they would go through the 2 trillion baht pretty quick.

[Keesters]

....i try to do my part...feed a dog....

If the dog is a soi dog then I trust you go back and clean up its poop resulting from the food you gave it.