Residents pack bags as Samut Prakan dump burns again

[webfact]

Residents pack bags as Samut Prakan dump burns again
Sutinan Kongsin
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Fire raged through the Praeksa dumpsite in Samut Prakan again yesterday, spreading smoke over nearby areas and sparking concern among residents.

Two months ago, people in several districts of Samut Prakan and adjacent Bangkok suffered from toxic fumes for days due to a fire at the same dumpsite. Officials and neighbours believed industrial waste might have been dumped there illegally.

"Perhaps the weather was so hot that a spark restarted the fire from down under the pile of garbage," Bang Poo Police Station's superintendent Colonel Wichit Boonchinwuttikul said.

His station received reports of the latest fire at around 12.30pm yesterday.

More than 10 fire trucks went to the scene but were unable to control the blaze as of press time. The fire had already spread over three-rai of the 150-rai Praeksa dumpsite.

Locals wore facial masks as thick plumes of black smoke continued to billow out of the site and many were seen packing their bags.

A local resident said, "If the smoke keeps billowing, I may have to move to an evacuation centre provided by the Tambon Praeksa Administrative Organisation".

-- The Nation 2014-05-13

[jaltsc]

"Officials and neighbours believed industrial waste might have been dumped there illegally."

It's only illegal if the the proper authorities weren't bribed beforehand.

[Piichai]

After another rotting rice delivery?

[ClutchClark]

After another rotting rice delivery?

The chemical waste and plastics burning in that dump are much worse than some burning rice.

[VocalNeal]

There are many forms of "industrial" waste much of it innocuous.

[lucjoker]

i thought thais like the sent of burning ?

If they see 2 dry leaves they hurry to burn it .

And if it burns ,it is always with a lot of smoke ,half- wed leaves and grass mixed with plastic bags .....they do it every day !

They allow smoke from their neighbor billowing in their living room, no pombem ,they wont complain .

Now the fire is 3 rai large ! On a 150 rai (240 000 sqm ) dump site ? The smell alone,when not on fire ,by this heat ????

What smell ?

[NoBrainer]

This kind of fire will burn underground for years. It will not be put out by pouring massive amounts of water on the surface. They will need to dig down and remove all of the material in the hot zone and for another 8 or 10 Rai surrounding it. If not this fire will keep on flaring up again.

[Benmart]

i thought thais like the sent of burning ?

If they see 2 dry leaves they hurry to burn it .

And if it burns ,it is always with a lot of smoke ,half- wed leaves and grass mixed with plastic bags .....they do it every day !

They allow smoke from their neighbor billowing in their living room, no pombem ,they wont complain .

Now the fire is 3 rai large ! On a 150 rai (240 000 sqm ) dump site ? The smell alone,when not on fire ,by this heat ????

What smell ?

I re-read the article just to be sure of its contents. It seems the dump is on fire, the fumes are of concern to local residents, it posses a health threat and fire fighters are having difficulty extinguishing it.

Conjecture and humor concerning a serious issue is always nice, particularly when one is not at the scene of the incident or has any relationship to it.

I hope the fire is put out soon and that the residents can move back into their homes and live in peace.

Edited May 13, 2014 by Benmart

[draftvader]

This kind of fire will burn underground for years. It will not be put out by pouring massive amounts of water on the surface. They will need to dig down and remove all of the material in the hot zone and for another 8 or 10 Rai surrounding it. If not this fire will keep on flaring up again.

We'd better prepare for a long drawn out process then because that isn't going to happen!

[Benmart]

This kind of fire will burn underground for years. It will not be put out by pouring massive amounts of water on the surface. They will need to dig down and remove all of the material in the hot zone and for another 8 or 10 Rai surrounding it. If not this fire will keep on flaring up again.

We'd better prepare for a long drawn out process then because that isn't going to happen!

I'm not there, don't know the authorities in charge and can't foresee the future. Therefore, I can't make the same statement.

I wish them luck.

[ClutchClark]

There are many forms of "industrial" waste much of it innocuous.

How easy it is for those of us who don't live near this dump to sit back and pontificate about the benign qualities of industrial waste.

Innocuous: Not harmful or offensive.

Hmm, Often materials that seem innocuous, such as wood or paper are treated with chemicals such as paint, glue and preservatives that can emit toxic fumes when burned.

Here is a bit more on "toxic" waste:

http://t.bangkok.coconuts.co/2014/03/25/toxic-trash-75-all-hazardous-waste-thailand-dumped-illegally

"Altogether Thailand generates...Another 4 metric tons of hazardous waste is produced each year of which only about one metric ton is disposed of properly, according to Witoon Simachokedee of the ministry.

"These acts are caused by selfish business operators wanting to lower their costs," said the ministry's Prasert Boonchaisuk."

And:

http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/50-percent-industrial-wastes-illegally-dumped/

"Citing the fire at Phraekasa landfill in Samut Prakan, she said that the case was a clear indication that those who produced the industrial wastes and had them illegally dumped at the landfill would never get caught and dealt with by the law because it was not known who were the owners of the wastes.

Also, she said that loopholes in the law have made it possible for illegal dumping of the wastes, including toxic wastes.

Meanwhile Mr Somnoek Jongmeevasin, a coordinator of Friends of the East Network, a non-governmental organization, claimed that there are about 40 illegal dump sites of industrial wastes in Rayong, Chon Buri, Prachin Buri, Chachoengsao and Bangkok with 13 in Chachoengsao alone."

Bottom line is the people who live near dumps in the greater BKK area are going to be subject to these fires for years to come even if strict enforcement prevented any further illegal dumping.

[marko kok prong]

In another article yesterday,they where blaming some scrap collector who was burning insulation off copper wire for starting it,now this article does not mention it,pardon the pun,but could the original report have been a Smokescreen!

[zappalot]

I dont get it. Digging in the internet just a little bit about fires in waste dumps would tell them how difficult it is to get such a fire under control AND if they think that it stopped that it did not stop at all.

But what are the Thai "experts" doing? As soon as they think it stopped they abandon the dump site. Such a fire continues below the surface for long time. So it was just a matter of time until the fire would have come back. And here it is again. Thainess at its best.

They need to get in an expert company who can deal with this fire, but they think they would loose their face (actually they lost it already...)

[Jonmarleesco]

I doubt the masks will be of much help.

[belg]

they really have no clue how these kind of garbage fires have to be handled correctly and for the face, they will ask no help

just call everytime some underlaying fire might find more oxygen and restart the whole process again and again

Edited May 13, 2014 by belg

[lucjoker]

i thought thais like the sent of burning ?

If they see 2 dry leaves they hurry to burn it .

And if it burns ,it is always with a lot of smoke ,half- wed leaves and grass mixed with plastic bags .....they do it every day !

They allow smoke from their neighbor billowing in their living room, no pombem ,they wont complain .

Now the fire is 3 rai large ! On a 150 rai (240 000 sqm ) dump site ? The smell alone,when not on fire ,by this heat ????

What smell ?

I re-read the article just to be sure of its contents. It seems the dump is on fire, the fumes are of concern to local residents, it posses a health threat and fire fighters are having difficulty extinguishing it.

Conjecture and humor concerning a serious issue is always nice, particularly when one is not at the scene of the incident or has any relationship to it.

I hope the fire is put out soon and that the residents can move back into their homes and live in peace.

Humor?

Just every day facts !

And i am not sorry for people who go live next to a dumb ,chicken farm,..........open your eyes (and nose) before you settle somewhere.

And if you live there first ,keep your place clean ,it can change in a dumb in weeks .

You can see mini dumb in many streets ,it starts with 1 idiot dumping a few sack of garbage ....next morning 10 others do the same ......

And for the priest: health threats and fire fighters who can not extinguish a fire ....is very normal here in Thailand ,not wort laughing.

[plachon]

I dont get it. Digging in the internet just a little bit about fires in waste dumps would tell them how difficult it is to get such a fire under control AND if they think that it stopped that it did not stop at all.

But what are the Thai "experts" doing? As soon as they think it stopped they abandon the dump site. Such a fire continues below the surface for long time. So it was just a matter of time until the fire would have come back. And here it is again. Thainess at its best.

They need to get in an expert company who can deal with this fire, but they think they would loose their face (actually they lost it already...)

Even if it wasn't started deliberately by the authorities, this fire may well turn out to be a blessing in disguise for them, as finding affordable new sites for waste dumps is a massive problem in Thailand today, especially in densely-populated, high-land value Central Thailand and the Bangkok hinterlands. This fire burns through 50 % of the site and the hole created will allow them to continue dumping here for many years to come - problem sorted. Meanwhile, local residents are used to the endless stream of garbage trucks, flies and bad smells that emanate from it on a regular basis, so won't complain when things return to "normal". And if there is a strange spike in cancers and other environmentally-induced diseases in the next few years from this fire, hey, what the hell "we're a developing country".

[belg]

i thought thais like the sent of burning ?

If they see 2 dry leaves they hurry to burn it .

And if it burns ,it is always with a lot of smoke ,half- wed leaves and grass mixed with plastic bags .....they do it every day !

They allow smoke from their neighbor billowing in their living room, no pombem ,they wont complain .

Now the fire is 3 rai large ! On a 150 rai (240 000 sqm ) dump site ? The smell alone,when not on fire ,by this heat ????

What smell ?

I re-read the article just to be sure of its contents. It seems the dump is on fire, the fumes are of concern to local residents, it posses a health threat and fire fighters are having difficulty extinguishing it.

Conjecture and humor concerning a serious issue is always nice, particularly when one is not at the scene of the incident or has any relationship to it.

I hope the fire is put out soon and that the residents can move back into their homes and live in peace.

Humor?

Just every day facts !

And i am not sorry for people who go live next to a dumb ,chicken farm,..........open your eyes (and nose) before you settle somewhere.

And if you live there first ,keep your place clean ,it can change in a dumb in weeks .

You can see mini dumb in many streets ,it starts with 1 idiot dumping a few sack of garbage ....next morning 10 others do the same ......

And for the priest: health threats and fire fighters who can not extinguish a fire ....is very normal here in Thailand ,not wort laughing.

live near?

what is the smoke , dirt, ashes, comes from tens of kilometers away ???

[Benmart]

i thought thais like the sent of burning ?

If they see 2 dry leaves they hurry to burn it .

And if it burns ,it is always with a lot of smoke ,half- wed leaves and grass mixed with plastic bags .....they do it every day !

They allow smoke from their neighbor billowing in their living room, no pombem ,they wont complain .

Now the fire is 3 rai large ! On a 150 rai (240 000 sqm ) dump site ? The smell alone,when not on fire ,by this heat ????

What smell ?

I re-read the article just to be sure of its contents. It seems the dump is on fire, the fumes are of concern to local residents, it posses a health threat and fire fighters are having difficulty extinguishing it.

Conjecture and humor concerning a serious issue is always nice, particularly when one is not at the scene of the incident or has any relationship to it.

I hope the fire is put out soon and that the residents can move back into their homes and live in peace.

Humor?

Just every day facts !

And i am not sorry for people who go live next to a dumb ,chicken farm,..........open your eyes (and nose) before you settle somewhere.

And if you live there first ,keep your place clean ,it can change in a dumb in weeks .

You can see mini dumb in many streets ,it starts with 1 idiot dumping a few sack of garbage ....next morning 10 others do the same ......

And for the priest: health threats and fire fighters who can not extinguish a fire ....is very normal here in Thailand ,not wort laughing.

I don't know the facts. I'm not there and I don't know the people that are. Perhaps some of them lived in the area before the dump moved next door. I don't know. I'm not there and don't know the facts.

I don't know the fire fighters, their tactics or equipment. I'm not there, so I don't know the facts.

I read the article and thank my high power that I don't live there. That fact, I know.

[Morch]

This kind of fire will burn underground for years. It will not be put out by pouring massive amounts of water on the surface. They will need to dig down and remove all of the material in the hot zone and for another 8 or 10 Rai surrounding it. If not this fire will keep on flaring up again.

We'd better prepare for a long drawn out process then because that isn't going to happen!

Prepare for the unexpected...

Feel sorry for people living nearby, or even not that near but in areas effected by smoke etc.

It ain't going away, and doubtful someone will apply a long term solution, nevermind assisting locals who need/wish

to relocate.

Can say I'm lucky I don't live anywhere near, but with Thailand's enforcement of zoning and safety regulations being

what it is, who knows?

[lucjoker]

i thought thais like the sent of burning ?

If they see 2 dry leaves they hurry to burn it .

And if it burns ,it is always with a lot of smoke ,half- wed leaves and grass mixed with plastic bags .....they do it every day !

They allow smoke from their neighbor billowing in their living room, no pombem ,they wont complain .

Now the fire is 3 rai large ! On a 150 rai (240 000 sqm ) dump site ? The smell alone,when not on fire ,by this heat ????

What smell ?

I re-read the article just to be sure of its contents. It seems the dump is on fire, the fumes are of concern to local residents, it posses a health threat and fire fighters are having difficulty extinguishing it.

Conjecture and humor concerning a serious issue is always nice, particularly when one is not at the scene of the incident or has any relationship to it.

I hope the fire is put out soon and that the residents can move back into their homes and live in peace.

Humor?

Just every day facts !

And i am not sorry for people who go live next to a dumb ,chicken farm,..........open your eyes (and nose) before you settle somewhere.

And if you live there first ,keep your place clean ,it can change in a dumb in weeks .

You can see mini dumb in many streets ,it starts with 1 idiot dumping a few sack of garbage ....next morning 10 others do the same ......

And for the priest: health threats and fire fighters who can not extinguish a fire ....is very normal here in Thailand ,not wort laughing.

I don't know the facts. I'm not there and I don't know the people that are. Perhaps some of them lived in the area before the dump moved next door. I don't know. I'm not there and don't know the facts.

I don't know the fire fighters, their tactics or equipment. I'm not there, so I don't know the facts.

I read the article and thank my high power that I don't live there. That fact, I know.

You dont know the people there? Nor the firefighters ?Nor the facts ?

You swear it ?

Ok then ,go have a beer and throw away those matches