Phuket filthy water spotlight focuses on Kamala
Suthicha Sirirat


The klong at the south end of Kamala.

PHUKET: -- Following the fuss over foul water flowing down a klong in Bangtao and across the beach, causing skin rashes and infections, experts yesterday (April 23) took a look at another klong, in Kamala, where local people reported similar disgusting smells and health problems.

Nutthakrit Polpet, a specialist from the Department of Natural Resources and Environment, Provincial Council member Sonthaya Suntharak and officers from the Marine and Coastal Resources Department visited Klong Baan Nork Lay, which is at the south end of Kamala Bay.

The visit cam in answer to complaints from local people about filthy water flowing onto the beach, releasing a foul smell, causing skin problems for those who stepped in it, and killing marine life.

Mr Nutthakrit acknowledged there was a pollution problem and proposed that, as a short-term remedy, a sump will be dug to trap sediments which can be periodically drained. Effective microbes will also be added to the klong to clean up bacteria.

In the longer term, a wastewater treatment plant needs to be built, but Karun Sriden, Mayor of Kamala, said the local municipality has no budget for this.

“We have the plans drawn up but we don’t have the budget to built it. We need private businesses to fund it, then we will repay them from the fees we charge to users.

“In the meantime we are going to pump out the mud and sediment in the canal before the rainy season sets in. We probably will have to use our own personal money to do this.”

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/phuket-filthy-water-spotlight-focuses-on-kamala-45849.php


-- Phuket News 2014-04-23

If you want tourists, you have to reinvest! The golden days are over.

All the major resorts have the same layout.

Storm drains filled with grey water being pumped out into the sea. Ghastly.

"We have the plans drawn up but we don’t have the budget to built it. We need private businesses to fund it"

Maybe better to ask all those police of politician the money they receive in corruption would be more appropriate.

All this is making the Governor look stupid. He washed his face in it and pronounced it safe.

How do you make a small fortune in Thailand? Invest a large fortune in a wastewater treatment plant then get paid back between 5-10% of initial large investment........... If you're lucky!

Seriously, does the local gov'ts not get a piece of the various taxes imposed on the rental of hotel and guesthouses?

"We probably will have to use our own personal money to do this.”

You take, sometimes you have to give back.......

They also don't have the money to hook anyone up to the local water either. There has been talks about this for the last 25 years in Kamala and it is always the same story, no money. Somehow I doubt that this is the real story. Nothing will be done in the short term or long term. Watch that Klong and see.

Wont be long before more of this disgusting news hits International holiday makers and Thailand will simply be crossed off the list of nice places to visit.

It all starts with education... perhaps they should stop showing 24 hour soapies to the retards and instead, more news and issues that can happen if the locals dont pick up their game.

I cant really blame any foreigners as we really dont have any rights, so cannot steer policy

Jesus wept, how many points of interest/focus points do we have now???? You know what that means? Yes you got it a HUB, we will have a HUB

More filthy water...to mix with the already filthy water...

If you want tourists, you have to reinvest! The golden days are over.

Reinvest ! what in the hell are you talking about ! Everybody in Thailand knows that the way to overcome any commercial problem, is to 'hike the price up'

Anyone test it for Benzine properties? Jet fuel? Engine oil? worth a check to insure what and possibly where it came from...

The problem is endemic in Thailand. The central government spends billions of baht for wastewater treatment plants. But the construction is then given to cousins and brothers and uncles who have never built any such thing. There is no project or construction engineering. So when the money is gone, the plant won't/can't come online. As a result, I read a year or so ago that only 14% of Thailand's waste is treated before being released to the environment; meaning 86% is released without any treatment whatsoever.

The pervasive corruption is drowning the nation in its own waste!

Is there a sewage grid in Kamala , or Surin , or Bang Tao?

If so , where is it?

Where is the treatment plant?

Ive never seen any evidence of it....everywhere Ive lived has a pit , probably tainting ground water since there are so many ...

The septic tank of Thailand

as we have read the governor has tested other black waters in phuket (don't know if he tested kamala yet) with a splash water skin test and all is good. unfortunately he does not realize is that the western world is some what educated and aware of what black water usually means in a canal.

i have been searching endlessly on the internet for white sand beaches and black sea water to take my holiday other then thailand.

what i really don't understand is why the western honorary consuls here in phuket have not tested this water themselves and provide the results to their own citizens. are they not here to protect their own citizens? of all the western people they surely know how the thai leaders on this island solve problems. its time these honorary consuls stand up and protect their own. surely the thais are not going to.

To all the Phuket residents on here who are complaining, who probably don't pay any local taxes.

What have you done to improve the waste treatment of the discharge from your own house or Moobahn?

Hippocrites one and all. If you don't pay local taxes you cannot expect the local authority do do anything.

To all the Phuket residents on here who are complaining, who probably don't pay any local taxes.

What have you done to improve the waste treatment of the discharge from your own house or Moobahn?

Hippocrites one and all. If you don't pay local taxes you cannot expect the local authority do do anything.

I pay taxes & my employer has a water treatment facility! Furthermore I use, when needed, my greywater to water the plants

Is there any kid friendly beach with decent water quality on Phuket?

Thailand needs to address the pollution problems that have been generated through excess development on Islands such as Phuket if they want to attract tourists in the future, If they fail to fix these pollution problems then you will soon see a massive downturn in Tourism, Vat, Land prices and an increase in Business bankruptcies . Wake up Thailand before the competition takes your Tourism market . Vietnam, Indonesia, Burma Laos Cambodia Philippines .