Environmentalist says Tha Phae water unsafe for playing Songkran

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Environmentalist says Tha Phae water unsafe for playing Songkran



CHIANG MAI: -- The Department of Pollution Control has urged prompt action to improve water quality at four locations in Chiang Mai, including the famous Tha Phae, before the start of the Songkran water splashing festival begins next week, reasoning that water quality in these place is harmful to health.

Call by the DPC came after officials collected water samples from at least 10 locations around Chiang Mai’s city moat where hundreds of thousands of locals and both local and foreign tourists usually gather to celebrate the Songkran festival.

Four locations, including Tha Phae, were found to have water’s oxygen level below safe standards.

Tha Phae forms part of the moat that surrounds the ancient city’s inner area.

Mr Wichien Jungrungruang, director-general of the department, said water test result will be sent to Chiang Mai Municipality with recommendation for the city to promptly install equipment to increase oxygen levels in the moat.

He said authorities successfully used microorganism balls to improve oxygen levels and water quality in the city’s moat last year.

Microorganism is a water treatment to remove bacteria from waste water.

According to acting chief of the First Regional Environment Office in Chiang Mai Mr Rapeesak Malairungsakul, he said water quality at the four places is substandard and needs improvement before people can safely use during the Songkran festival this month.

The standard of safe water quality is four milligrams/liter of dissolved oxygen (DO) in the water.

But quality of water samples collected from these places on March 27 showed four of them have less than safe standard, he said.

He said substandard water could prove harmful if it enters the mouth, eyes or wounds of festival goers
He then asserted that the water in Tha Phae has deteriorated and action is urgently needed to increase oxygen in the water before the festival starts.

According to the test of water samples, dissolved oxygen (DO) level in Tha Phae to the east is at 2.60 mg/liter below the standard of 4.0 mg/liter.

The worst area is in front of Chiang Mai-Ram hospital- a western part of the moat where DO level is 2 mg/liter.

The other two locations are in front of Watanothai Payap School also to the west with 3.97 mg/l and Computer City to the north at 3.85 mg/liter. But for other six places, the levels are between 4.6-7.53 mg/liter which are good quality.

He said the reason for pollution is waste water discharge into the moat.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/environmentalist-says-tha-phae-water-unsafe-playing-songkran/


-- Thai PBS 2014-04-03

[Tatsujin]

I think it's those damn Chinese crapping in the moat again!

[khwaibah]

"The Department of Pollution Control has urged prompt action to improve water quality at four locations in Chiang Mai, including the famous Tha Phae, before the start of the Songkran water splashing festival begins next week, reasoning that water quality in these place is harmful to health."

Prompt action before Songkran. You have maybe 7 days before the piss and shyt is being thrown. Ain't going to happen.

[CobraSnakeNecktie]

Don't they usually dump a bunch of chlorine into the water before songkran?

[Johnnie99]

'Playing' Songkran? Participate in, join in, but certainly not 'playing'. Can one 'play' new year?

I am not sorry for caring about our language.

And anyway - was the water ever clean enough?

Edited April 3, 2014 by Johnnie99

[AhFarangJa]

Time to get out.....

[wileycoyote]

Unfortunately ,it is true and has been so ,for some time

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Come on, stuff is being done every year to increase the water quality. (Letting new water flow in, chlorinating it, etc.)

Will be same this year.

Songkran Grinches can go back up their mountain.

[Tywais]

Don't they still have those floating surface aerators used to oxygenate it? Used to see them out every year.

[marcusd]

No matter what... Songkran will happen. Water will be thrown. People will have fun and some will get hurt, sick, drunk and many will again have fond memories

Marcusd. Via tapatalk

[Rimbuman]

Mmmmmmm,

Had a skin rash last year because of the moat water, lots of fun anyway

Edited April 3, 2014 by Rimbuman

[Borzandy]

"water unsafe for playing Songkran" maipenrai, Thai will add ice cubs in the bucket

[deesquared]

'Playing' Songkran? Participate in, join in, but certainly not 'playing'. Can one 'play' new year?

I am not sorry for caring about our language.

And anyway - was the water ever clean enough?

That's how it's said in Thai. Learn to speak the language if you are going to live here.

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[NoshowJones]

No matter what... Songkran will happen. Water will be thrown. People will have fun and some will get hurt, sick, drunk and many will again have fond memories

Marcusd. Via tapatalk

What about all those who are going to die, some because of ignorant scum throwing water at traveling motorbikes.

[sonar6ca]

Another reason to stay home!

[janpharma]

A friend almost got blind from the shit they throw around...just a few years ago...one can still see the damage...Hope it will be over soon...But the idiots must "play"...

[ABCer]

Bravo!

Listen to Environmentalists! No splashing of unsafe water during Songkran.

Drinking it is another matter... Cheers!

[BeforeTigers]

And the all-time, #1 unspoken reason why this isn't a real government: you cannot drink the water, anywhere.

Government has two jobs: secure borders, ensure basic food and water supplies.
Failed on both fronts.

This massively predates the cosmetic damage of the current administration.

People think the difference between an "developed" and "3rd world" nation is anything to do with hich-tech.
Nope. Water.

[sunshine51]

"Environmentalist says Tha Phae water unsafe for playing Songkran"

Well...there you have it...no Songkran for you lot in Chiang Mai then.

Too much poop...not enough O2...smells like my bathroom in KL at

the moment! Oh...Go on...enjoy the festivities...it's only a minor

irritation...hah!

[slipperylobster]

OMG ..

all I hear nowadays is how polluted the air and water is in Chiang Mai !

Happy E-Coli in your ear from the splashing of crappy water...while you are choking on the traffic pollution and smoke.

[hgv driver]

Happy Songkran ever one

[GlobalCtzn]

OMG ..

all I hear nowadays is how polluted the air and water is in Chiang Mai !

Happy E-Coli in your ear from the splashing of crappy water...while you are choking on the traffic pollution and smoke.

Yeah, it is totally miserable here in Chiang Mai. Everyone cancel your trip and stay away. TRUST ME

[marcusd]

No matter what... Songkran will happen. Water will be thrown. People will have fun and some will get hurt, sick, drunk and many will again have fond memories

Marcusd. Via tapatalk

What about all those who are going to die, some because of ignorant scum throwing water at traveling motorbikes.

what about those who will die from,drugs, drunk driving, fights and general stupidity?

As a medical professional I doubt someone will die unless seriously immunosupressed but then these people generally know to take care.

Marcusd. Via tapatalk

[wolfmanjack]

turn on all the fountains to aerate the water and stop people from dumping waste water in the moat in the first place.

What's the matter the local sewer is not working?

[VegasVic]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

OMG ..

all I hear nowadays is how polluted the air and water is in Chiang Mai !

Happy E-Coli in your ear from the splashing of crappy water...while you are choking on the traffic pollution and smoke.

Yeah, it is totally miserable here in Chiang Mai. Everyone cancel your trip and stay away. TRUST ME

Global, Please get the word out, between the air pollution, water pollution and the Chinese tourists squatting and crapping in the parks and sidewalks, Chiang Mai is not the paradise that all the travel blogs make it out to be One can hope that the growth in Chiang Mai can subside for a while at least I read a post here on TV that the Russians were going to boycott Thailand, now if the Chinese and Koreans would only follow suit then we could turn the clock back 30 years to a time when Thailand was really a fun place

[stickylies]

'Playing' Songkran? Participate in, join in, but certainly not 'playing'.

wrong, this is thailand where cops play police, students play university, bg play gf, etc...

have a nice stay!

[ggt]

He said the reason for pollution is waste water discharge into the moat.

Ok...all you Thai apologists...give this one your best shot...how has the hypocritical West...and hypocritical foreigners...contributed to this debacle...?

[Tywais]

A post in all caps removed as it is considered yelling, see here - http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/254949-forum-netiquette/

[NoshowJones]

No matter what... Songkran will happen. Water will be thrown. People will have fun and some will get hurt, sick, drunk and many will again have fond memories

Marcusd. Via tapatalk

What about all those who are going to die, some because of ignorant scum throwing water at traveling motorbikes.

what about those who will die from,drugs, drunk driving, fights and general stupidity?

As a medical professional I doubt someone will die unless seriously immunosupressed but then these people generally know to take care.

Marcusd. Via tapatalk

Yes, your first sentence is spot on, as for your second, there was a TV member on this forum about a week ago who told us he witnessed someone throwing water on a traveling motorbike which caused the rider to swerve in to the path of a truck traveling in the opposite direction and was killed.

That was one we heard of, what about the ones we don't hear of?

[moe666]

Love all the unhappy people here, enjoy the celebration just stay away from the moat.