Thai experts want stronger laws on environment

[webfact]

Experts want stronger laws on environment
Pratch Rujivanarom
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- STRONGER sections on environmental protection should be included in the next charter, while new laws on environment-quality management should also be drafted, experts said this week.

At a public forum on "Suggestions to Reform the Natural Resources and Environment of the Country", hosted on Tuesday by the Thailand Research Fund (TRF), panellists on environment-quality management raised commonly espoused recommendations on reforming regulations over waste management and control of water and air pollution.

The session was held to back the work on environmental and healthcare reform, which is one of 11 issues on the reform agenda, based on the 2014 interim constitution.

Asst Prof Pichaya Rachdawong, from the engineering faculty at Chulalongkorn University, said a new law solely regulating waste management should be drafted, while existing laws should be revised and strong regulations imposed to punish wrongdoers.

"Previous charters were vague on the state's duty to provide a good and healthy environment for the people, so the new constitution should have a section about this. The duty of citizens to preserve the environment and [participate in] waste management should be added into the constitution, as well," he told the forum.

He said these suggestions should be implemented together with the cultivation of awareness through education, to encourage people to understand the importance of waste management and strengthen public participation in the control of garbage. "Improvement of punishment under the law should also be undertaken, in order to find the polluters and punish them. This would make law enforcement more efficient," he said.

The proposal to introduce new laws on water- and air-pollution control was also put to the forum. Orathai Chavalparit, a lecturer at Chulalongkorn University's department of environment engineering, said that as Thailand still did not have a direct law to control water pollution, it should introduce a national wastewater management act.

"Now, we don't have a law to regulate the wastewater from households and all kinds of farming, excluding wastewater from pig farms, so it is hard to control the wastewater and enforce the law," she said. "Therefore, I suggest that a new act on wastewater management should be drafted, to make it clear about punishment of polluters and remedies for those affected."

Wongpun Limpaseni, from the faculty of engineering at Chulalongkorn University, also highlighted the lack of a specific law to regulate air-pollution control.

"I recommend that the government draft a law on air-quality management, so we can have a legitimate process to control air pollution, similar to laws in developed countries, such as the Clean Air Act in the United Kingdom and the United States," he told the forum.

He said such a law would ensure that future government policies did not conflict with air-pollution control efforts, like the first-car policy of the previous elected government, which had encouraged people to buy cars, and consequently aggravated air pollution in cities.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Experts-want-stronger-laws-on-environment-30271374.html


-- The Nation 2015-10-22

[selftaopath]

OH Pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee. Laws in Thailand are not worth the paper they're printed on. Laws are NOT enforced and usually totally ignored. So why bother? There is little to no rule of law and perhaps laws serve as a means for bribery only. So might as well trash all the laws in Thailand.... especially involving motorized transportation, because it's on big free for all...(if your connected and have access to the trough that is).

[ExpatOilWorker]

OH Pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee. Laws in Thailand are not worth the paper they're printed on. Laws are NOT enforced and usually totally ignored. So why bother? There is little to no rule of law and perhaps laws serve as a means for bribery only. So might as well trash all the laws in Thailand.... especially involving motorized transportation, because it's on big free for all...(if your connected and have access to the trough that is).

Not entirely true. I know a factory that is installing a multi million dollar filter to reduce sulfur emission.

Thailand was also quick to get rid of all the 2-stroke motorbikes.

[akampa]

ExpatOilWorker, on 22 Oct 2015 - 06:19, said:

OH Pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee. Laws in Thailand are not worth the paper they're printed on. Laws are NOT enforced and usually totally ignored. So why bother? There is little to no rule of law and perhaps laws serve as a means for bribery only. So might as well trash all the laws in Thailand.... especially involving motorized transportation, because it's on big free for all...(if your connected and have access to the trough that is).

Not entirely true. I know a factory that is installing a multi million dollar filter to reduce sulfur emission.

Thailand was also quick to get rid of all the 2-stroke motorbikes.

yes but where I live in Chaingmai I come across quite a few 2 stroke stinkers so not everyone abides by the law on that issue.

[timber]

What is the education program for teaching kids? I see lots of fish boats smoking into the sunset. Vehicles still smoke a lot. There is an exhaust problem.

What exposure is there people outside of Bangkok to pollution control? The kids in grade four English don't even know their colors.

You do a good job on education of the kids and there is immediate pressure on the parents. Is just has to be simple and well thought out,

Not a garbage truck of ideas. I'm not too sure how many parents even know about global warming and the importance to them and their

families. I wouldn't know how to educate the parents on global warming and what they can do about pollution control in the rural areas.

Although 90 % of pollution control involves vehicles and industry and I don't think that would be that difficult and long to take care of.

Need to assess what are the priorities and spend accordingly. Proper job of monitoring and fines and pollution control would pay for itself.

The effort to take care of the other 10% is difficult and costly. In the short term the priorities are obvious.

[Thian]

What do i do with empty batteries or used deepfry oil? Right, dump it in the binbag.

[anon467367354]

it seems that every company that sells bottled gas uses the 2 stroke bikes to deliver it.

There are a lot of 2 stroke bikes around, maybe they just don't sell new ones these days.

still you see diesel trucks belching out black clouds of smoke, the skies are constantly being

sprayed with chemicals day in and day out, GMO's and glyphosate are poisoning the people.

There is a lot of work do be done. Screw the laws to regulate, have laws to ban!

[h90]

OH Pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee. Laws in Thailand are not worth the paper they're printed on. Laws are NOT enforced and usually totally ignored. So why bother? There is little to no rule of law and perhaps laws serve as a means for bribery only. So might as well trash all the laws in Thailand.... especially involving motorized transportation, because it's on big free for all...(if your connected and have access to the trough that is).

Not entirely true. I know a factory that is installing a multi million dollar filter to reduce sulfur emission.

Thailand was also quick to get rid of all the 2-stroke motorbikes.

The tuk-tuks are 2 stroke.

And it is one of the sillier laws as good two stroke engines are lighter, less likely to get problems and using less gasoline. Also they produce less pollution. Problem is that there is no market for clean 2 stroke engines. Laws should give limits on the pollution and not ban a specific technology (on the advise and bribe of lobbyists).

So Thailand was successful to support some motorbike producer which were strong on 4 stroke engines......

[bim]

We had two neighbours whereby someone complained about there making of Charcoal. The Police warned them if they didnt stop they would be fined. One stopped and the other was allowed to burn what wood he had left. A few weeks ago I saw him having more wood delivered and the burning continued. My point is its the local community who seem to tollerate this not the enforcement as few people complain. My wife said the reason for this is if I were to complain that person would then get there revenge by complaining about say our dogs barking and the Police would reomove our dogs. That is crazy to me so best policy is to put up and shut up. Until the Police or others actually enforce rather than waiting for someone to complain. The air quality here is sometimes so poor we cant breath. Its a real shame but I would not want to impose the rather fascist local council jobsworth like back in the UK. For me that would be the real shame.

Edited October 22, 2015 by bim

[h90]

it seems that every company that sells bottled gas uses the 2 stroke bikes to deliver it.

There are a lot of 2 stroke bikes around, maybe they just don't sell new ones these days.

still you see diesel trucks belching out black clouds of smoke, the skies are constantly being

sprayed with chemicals day in and day out, GMO's and glyphosate are poisoning the people.

There is a lot of work do be done. Screw the laws to regulate, have laws to ban!

While I see only rarely trucks belching black clouds, these black clouds are just carbon particle, and relative big one. They are harmless....The invisible carbon particle from a modern good diesel engine are far more dangerous.

[chainarong]

Lets face it Environment ,Mining Health all these laws are so dated or non existent that it isn't funny , there is very few regulations in this area and if there are, they are very hazy and to tell everyone that no laws exist for household wastewater, that is just stupid , however there is one obstacle to jump , if inspectors are appointed to police and enforce new laws just how many would just ------- disappear .

[Thian]

OH Pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee. Laws in Thailand are not worth the paper they're printed on. Laws are NOT enforced and usually totally ignored. So why bother? There is little to no rule of law and perhaps laws serve as a means for bribery only. So might as well trash all the laws in Thailand.... especially involving motorized transportation, because it's on big free for all...(if your connected and have access to the trough that is).

Not entirely true. I know a factory that is installing a multi million dollar filter to reduce sulfur emission.

Thailand was also quick to get rid of all the 2-stroke motorbikes.

The tuk-tuks are 2 stroke.

And it is one of the sillier laws as good two stroke engines are lighter, less likely to get problems and using less gasoline. Also they produce less pollution. Problem is that there is no market for clean 2 stroke engines. Laws should give limits on the pollution and not ban a specific technology (on the advise and bribe of lobbyists).

So Thailand was successful to support some motorbike producer which were strong on 4 stroke engines......

Tuktuks drive on LPG which is much cleaner.

Lately i even see tuktuks with 4stroke engines which are very silent.

But tuktuk's are in BKK for tourists, they cost more than a taxi and don't have aircon, so who would use them?

My neighbour is dreaming of a Pajero sport, it has a real diesel engine that sounds like a tractor from last century. But it is a "sportmodel" so yes that's we need here in BKK.

[eliotness]

it seems that every company that sells bottled gas uses the 2 stroke bikes to deliver it.

There are a lot of 2 stroke bikes around, maybe they just don't sell new ones these days.

still you see diesel trucks belching out black clouds of smoke, the skies are constantly being

sprayed with chemicals day in and day out, GMO's and glyphosate are poisoning the people.

There is a lot of work do be done. Screw the laws to regulate, have laws to ban!

While I see only rarely trucks belching black clouds, these black clouds are just carbon particle, and relative big one. They are harmless....The invisible carbon particle from a modern good diesel engine are far more dangerous.

There's even more to worry about than "the invisible carbon particle". A poorly maintained diesel engine will emit a lot of invisible carcinogens and NOx, but a "modern good diesel engine" will still emit a lot of NOx. Hence the orange cloud seen over most industrial cities worldwide.

[tuanku]

It's time for this. Communities are becoming more aware of pollution in their backyards and need some back-up when they make complaints. We have seen local protests in Maptaphut, in Loei, in Songkla and elsewhere. Stronger regulations give these communities more tools to use to safeguard their health.