Oil spill on Hua Hin beach

[louse1953]

Hua Hin beach hit by 10km long oil slick

HUA HIN: -- An oil slick stretching about ten kilometers long hit the beach of Hua Hin emitting foul smell and driving away local and foreign tourists from the beach.

The presence of the oil slick prompted Hua Hin mayor Nopporn Wutthikul to seek help from the Navy to find out if the problem was caused by oil spills from commercial freighters or large fishing boats or any of those vessels sank in the sea off Hua Hin causing the oil spills.

In the meantime, specimens of the oil slick were sent to the environment office for tests.

Hua Hin district officer Sutthipong Klai-udom said it was initially suspected that the oil was deliberately dumped into the sea by a vessel dealing in contraband goods.

He nevertheless advised tourists not to venture into the sea for 1-2 days until the situation has returned to normal.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/hua-hin-beach-hit-by-10km-long-oil-slick

-- Thai PBS 2015-10-28

No sign of a clean up crew.It will just float off somewhere else,will it,not my problem.

[louse1953]

Don't they have a big truck who can easy clean all beaches in one day?

Or a truck and boat/jetski who together pull a big net along the shore to clean it up?

Just give the one who done it a huge fine and buy some of those trucks from that money.

10 years ago i went to Hua Hin after a big storm and it looked worse then this, also the very dangerous jellyfish were there who can be caught by a net.

Without clean/safe beaches Hua hin is doomed.

Mmm,i said that about Sin City.

[webfact]

Tourists in Hua Hin told not to swim until oil slick removed

PTAJUAB KHIRI KHAN, 28 October 2015 (NNT)-The First Naval Area Command is expected to find out what caused oil slick on the beach in Prajuab Khiri Khan province.

According to Hua Hin authorities, the oil was discovered yesterday along the beach in the tourist district of Hua Hin. Food vendors in the area reportedly smelled the oil a couple of days before it was washed up on the beach.

The authorities have not ruled out any cause yet. A sample of the oil slick has already been taken to the lab to determine the type of oil. The First Naval Area Command will survey the coastline and try to find whether there is a large vessel nearby.

Tourists have been told not to swim in the sea for a couple of days or until the beach is clean. Sand has been used in removing the oil slick. Hua Hin officials and related agencies will also take to the beach today to help get rid of the remaining oil slick.


-- NNT 2015-10-28

[ClutchClark]

^^^No clean up crews?^^^

Please keep us posted if any clean up effort is eventually made and what it consists of.

I don't believe I have ever seen any type of Spill Response Equipment or training exercises in my few years living at the beach.

[louse1953]

That stretch of coast has been a disgrace for years,the oil spill has just highlighted it.

When Bangkok gets flooded,like every wet season, all the crap floats down the Chao Phrao River and obviouly gets washed ashore on either side of the bay.

Add in the fishing boats that dump everything overboard,nothing will change.the "trash heroes" down south who collect rubbish from the beaches on a weekly basis easily identify

that fact ,nets ,lines , energy drinks etc etc all washed ashore as they are too lazy to have a bin on board.Subsequently they are kiling their own industry with fish etc that digest this rubbish.

Thailnd is light years behind in education about their own environment and nobody cares.

"TRASH heroes"?

Could you further explain? I was in Samui and there was a farang from the US collecting large garbage bags of trash each morning for a documentary. He collected all sorts of things including hypodermic needles and syringes!

He would lay out the different items collected to film and show tourists.

There was an assortment of light bulbs found each day used and discarded by the fishing fleet including sodium halide, flourescents, etc

There were large numbers of small squarish brown Red Bull bottles.

It was both interesting and thoroughly disgusting AND the local community did not care at all. In fact, the jetski guys used to laugh at him as he walked along picking up trash. There is an obvious disconnect in the minds of the locals between the trash and the threat it creates to their livelihoods.

A friend of mine lives in Nontaburi,on the Chao Phrao,house on stilts.You could walk on the plastic that was built up,below.Never mind,i was told,flood come,rubbish gone.Now we know where.

[shirtless]

If you came for the beaches your going to be disappointed thats for sure, get it all cleaned up or you wont have tourists.

[Jonathan Fairfield]

Hua Hin authorities with military and volunteer support clean up Hua Hin beach. Making very rapid progress north from Khao Takiab.

Pic: Norman Stacey

[Chongalulu]

I have todrive to Bangkok tomorrow from Phimai so was planning a couple of daysafterwads in Cha am for break. Is that affected at all?

[Lupusthai]

I have todrive to Bangkok tomorrow from Phimai so was planning a couple of daysafterwads in Cha am for break. Is that affected at all?

Couldn't notice anything this morning (8 a.m.), many kids & parents playing in the water.

[NCC1701A]

The Army has cleaned the beach. Not sure about the other side of Monkey Mountain yet.

It not perfect, but they have a large group of Army guys with earth moving machines.

Also a few Farangs helping out.

so unless you are a crab, bird, fish or a human who eats seafood in the Hua Hin area, it is almost like nothing happened.

Edited October 28, 2015 by NCC1701A

[luckyman]

What a catastrophe. Do we have more details on the origin of the spill? Thank you.

Are you kidding? Thai authorities will investigate! It is highly likely that they will never get to prove where the spill originated from but they will investigate! In fact, I think they will say many times "We are investigating", but will anything happen? History suggests too often much talking but little real action to solve problems.

the fact that they found out that it is an oil-based substance is actually quite remarkable already and should be considered a major break through, 55555

[luckyman]

" There is sometimes human waste floating in the water here"

While I am not a fan of Hua Hin, to be fair, down in Phuket while we don't usually see floating human waste, a wasted human floating by is not uncommon.

Patong, Ao Nong, Hua Hin, Samui.....

Where does everyone think the numerous hotels discharge their waste?

The water treatment plants do not have the capacity to treat all that raw sewage.

Nope, every time someone flushes a toilet it gets sent out into the very waters they spend the day swimming in.

Have a nice day ;-)

Unfortunately you are spot on, in fact in Hua Hin hey built a water treatment plant for 55 mio baht 6 years ago which sits idle and not being used for years now.

[kannot]

The Army has cleaned the beach. Not sure about the other side of Monkey Mountain yet.

It not perfect, but they have a large group of Army guys with earth moving machines.

Also a few Farangs helping out.

so unless you are a crab, bird, fish or a human who eats seafood in the Hua Hin area, it is almost like nothing happened.

Just worry where they are gonna dump all that crap???????

[kannot]

Unfortunately, beach garbage is pretty normal for Thailand...

If they decide to clean up the oil, should also pick up the garbage at the same time..

My guess is they will make an effort to deal with the oil but do nothing about the garbage...embarrassing in my book

Heres the problem "what garbage" thats how Thai eyes see it

[ClutchClark]

so unless you are a crab, bird, fish or a human who eats seafood in the Hua Hin area, it is almost like nothing happened.

Priceless ;-)

[NickJ]

Maybe the horse urine will dissolve it.....

[webfact]

Oil slicks scattered over 10-km long Hua Hin beaches

HUA HIN: -- The Hua Hin local administration officials today advised tourists not to swim in Hua Hin sea as now oil slicks have been found on the beach stretching to over 10 kilometres long.

The advice came as local officials began inspection of large oil-slicks that scatteredly covered more than 10 kilometre of beaches.

The inspection came after they received reports of oil slicks floating in and around beaches around the Khao Takeap hill.

They immediately carried out an inspection on all beaches and discovered several slicks and garbage covered in black oily sludge.

Samples were collected and sent to the Prachuap Kiri Khan and Ratchaburi provincial offices for Natural Resources and Environment to be tested.

They also coordinated with the 1st Area Navy Command to carry out patrols to locate any possible sinking or shipwrecks in the area and notified all tourists to refrain from entering the water for the time being.

Local residents said a number of clumps of garbage stained with oil sludge were seen washing ashore as early as 9.00 am in the morning yesterday.

As the day progressed these increased in number with the rising tide and spread to other beaches.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/oil-slicks-scattered-over-10-km-long-hua-hin-beaches

-- Thai PBS 2015-10-28

[ClutchClark]

I would say this is an example of how social media encourages "accountability".

20 years ago, a tourist considering a vacation to Thailand would have no way of knowing about a recent spill or contamination until they arrived.

Fortunately, this type of spill is one that is easily cleaned up by the methods used. It would have been much worse if it was heavier than sea water and did not float on the surface.

[SunsetT]

Every year around this time there is trash spilled on the beaches of Hua Hin. Apparently the spills come from the nearest river Northside, after heavy rains all the way from China. This oil spill is most likely from the same origin. Usually the Hua Hin beach down to Kao Takiab is very clean and the garbage pickup on the beach very efficient. Most Russians that I meet on the beach are families, friendly and polite.

.......This would make sense.....In the UK where I live, after heavy Winter rains, flooding and high tides, the beaches at the mouths of the rivers are covered in tons of mostly driftwood, tree stumps, planks, etc........an amazing assortment of flotsam and jetsam......even dead sheep!

[freedom4life]

These environmental-destroying-fiends should be dealt with to the fullest extent of the law. Karma has already been set for them...

[ameadi]

Hua Hin's beaches are trash anyway...what's a little oil going to do?

[ameadi]

Very unpleasant comment. Better if you shut up

[csabo]

" There is sometimes human waste floating in the water here"

While I am not a fan of Hua Hin, to be fair, down in Phuket while we don't usually see floating human waste, a wasted human floating by is not uncommon.

Patong, Ao Nong, Hua Hin, Samui.....

Where does everyone think the numerous hotels discharge their waste?

The water treatment plants do not have the capacity to treat all that raw sewage.

Nope, every time someone flushes a toilet it gets sent out into the very waters they spend the day swimming in.

Have a nice day ;-)

I said "see". I guess you didn't see that. I know exactly what the hotels and restaurants and laundromats do with waste water. I have countless times marveled at people bathing in the lagoon water at Nai Harn beach after it passed under the road on the way out to sea yet they never swim in the actual rancid lagoon. It's as if they think putrid water going through a 20 foot pipe somehow sanitizes it to the level that they would make it the MOST FAVORABLE LOCATION for taking children and infants to swim.

[jagfx]

I'm on Takiab Beach (south of Hua Hin) now and when we arrived about 90 mins ago there were plenty of volunteers manually removing the sludge and rubbish from the beach. There were also quite a few hotel staff from hotels that are not actually beach front. And there were a couple of municipality dump trucks assisting. It was stinking hot and hard work, but looks much better than yesterday already. Also doesn't appear to be any badly affected marine life washed up on shore but that's not to say they haven't suffered offshore. Huge thunderstorm through Takiab last night so that may have helped also..

[Jonathan Fairfield]

Hua Hin beach starting to look a little better this afternoon...

[BusyB]

Very unpleasant comment. Better if you shut up

Indeed. I've spent many happy weeks on end on HH beaches. They may not be tropical island standard but they're generally kept clean by even the horse community. Some trash is inevitable. And it's frequently beach goer detritus like fag ends etc. I experienced friendly vendors with decent food at reasonable prices and service second to none (before the junta's crackdown of course). Sometimes I think I inhabit a parallel universe when I read some comments here.

And this oil slick (like every other) is a tragedy, and not just because I'm looking forward to a few weeks there again this winter as well.

Edited October 28, 2015 by BusyB

[ClutchClark]

" There is sometimes human waste floating in the water here"

While I am not a fan of Hua Hin, to be fair, down in Phuket while we don't usually see floating human waste, a wasted human floating by is not uncommon.

Patong, Ao Nong, Hua Hin, Samui.....

Where does everyone think the numerous hotels discharge their waste?

The water treatment plants do not have the capacity to treat all that raw sewage.

Nope, every time someone flushes a toilet it gets sent out into the very waters they spend the day swimming in.

Have a nice day ;-)

I said "see". I guess you didn't see that. I know exactly what the hotels and restaurants and laundromats do with waste water. I have countless times marveled at people bathing in the lagoon water at Nai Harn beach after it passed under the road on the way out to sea yet they never swim in the actual rancid lagoon. It's as if they think putrid water going through a 20 foot pipe somehow sanitizes it to the level that they would make it the MOST FAVORABLE LOCATION for taking children and infants to swim.

I as supporting your post.

Sorry if it did not come across thst way.

Cheers

[NCC1701A]

now upon closer inspection, the beach is still covered in oil that has become like tar mixed with the sand.

At the tide line, here is a second wave of oil covered stuff washing up on the beach.

And a lot of the oil and tar is mixed with the sand and will get all over your feet. Extremely difficult to remove from your skin.

and if you are tourist, your expensive beach shoes are ruined, and beach hotels are going to have a big mess int their hallways and lobbies.

like everything in Thailand no attention to detail, a rush job so the beach looks clean but it is ruined.

no way i could walk this evening. maybe i will get a old pair of shoes.

sorry everybody, but the Army should still be out there cleaning, its not like they have anything else to do.

[Wombat6]

The Russians are used to that NO EPA in RUSSIA

No Beaches either

[luckyman]

I have todrive to Bangkok tomorrow from Phimai so was planning a couple of daysafterwads in Cha am for break. Is that affected at all?

Nope, luckily it is not as I was very worried about that too, I live in Cha'am 200 m from the beach and checked with some friends as I am in BKK but all ok there!!!