Tourists flee stinking trash on Koh Tao

[snoop1130]

Tourists flee stinking trash on Koh Tao

Suchat Hankij

 

 

KOH TAO:-- Tourists are checking out of their hotels on Koh Tao in droves – fleeing the stink of a 45,000-ton mountain of garbage that is growing by the day after the island’s incinerator broke down three weeks ago.

With trash piling up at a rate of 30 to 40 tons a day on the island off Surat Thani, and rain washing the filth down onto the roads, local residents are up in arms as their homes become saturated with the stench of rotting rubbish and tourism takes a massive hit.

Koh Tao Municipality Chief Administrative Officer (palad) Auaychai Srithong revealed on Friday that the contract between the municipality and Success Environment Management Co Ltd (SEM), the operators of the incinerator, ended on August 15.

 

Full Story: http://www.phuketgazette.net/phuket-news/Tourists-flee-stinking-trash-Koh-Tao/65513?desktopversion#ad-image-0

 

-- © Copyright Phuket Gazette 2016-09-06

[boomerangutang]

Yikes.  to be fair, it's a sign of the times.  Dealing with garbage is a serious issue for many places worldwide. In my area of Chiang Rai, there is illegal dumping many places.  There's a site where I found some fossils (although Thais don't seem to care about such things).  It also has many different colors of clay, at its once-secluded location.  Now it can't be accessed because there are several rai of garbage dumped there, piled 2 to 3 meters high.  Similarly, nearly every rural road has a designated trash dump, but Thais can't figure out how to make a concrete slab with a 1.5 meter high chain link fence around it - to keep dogs out, and keep it from getting strewn all over.  I'm going to take my workers (I build houses) and voluntarily built some of those receptacle places (I've already built one, but it was moved for a hwy).  If I went to the village headman to propose the idea, he would probably just laugh, "ha ha ha, you farang worry about such silly things.  Bring me a bottle of whiskey, and I may consider your idea.  ha ha ha."

[clockman]

Third world, and always will be. No matter how many shopping malls they build!

[samuijimmy]

Two off topic remarks have been removed...   This is not going to turn into another run on comments about other events on Koh Toa. 

[SteveB2]

Same-same but different (bigger) garbage mountain on Koh Samui...

 

[ChrisY1]

Refusal to listen to professional advice over the years, regarding waste disposal in Thailand, has led to a monumental problem..the islands have much more serious issues than on the mainland....but corruption and ignorance has limited their ability to solve the problem....funds have been allocated!..basically now, it's at such a stage that the authorities in these regions, have simply thrown up their hands.

Not at all peculiar to Thailand of course, but really everyone........tessaban...local admin......just turns a blind eye and hopes/believes that it will go away

[Slip]

So finally it is official?  Koh Tao is a cesspit?

 

[boomerangutang]

Darn, I wish I'd gone there 40 yrs ago when it was probably a sleepy little place, with a few turtles lounging around - hence it's name.

[trogers]

They can always shape the mounts of garbage into turtles...and they may become the attraction... 

[off road pat]

Koh Kha Ja,...."garbage" Island will be the name from now on !!! or Koh Sokopok !!!! Island of dirt.....

[Thechook]

Greed and the need to get rich quick has destroyed the island.  No planning or infrastructure was put in place to make it sustainable.  Keep pigging out without any thought for tomorrow and good things come to an end.

[Radar501]

8 hours ago, boomerangutang said:

Darn, I wish I'd gone there 40 yrs ago when it was probably a sleepy little place, with a few turtles lounging around - hence it's name.

 

Nope.  Koh Tao was named by its first settlers after the island's turtle-like shape

 

On the subject of turtles and garbage, this is what can and does happen when these beautiful creatures are forced to share their world with lazy, greedy humans.

 

[notmyself]

Tourists are checking out of their hotels on Koh Tao in droves – fleeing the stink of a 45,000-ton mountain of garbage that is growing by the day after the island’s incinerator broke down three weeks ago.

With trash piling up at a rate of 30 to 40 tons a day on the island off Surat Thani, and rain washing the filth down onto the roads, local residents are up in arms as their homes become saturated with the stench of rotting rubbish and tourism takes a massive hit.

 

40 ton a day times 21 days is 840 ton which means there was already 44,160 ton before the breakdown.

[Lantern]

They need to start at the beginning with correct education in the schools.

[loong]

Quote

45,000-ton mountain of garbage that is growing by the day after the island’s incinerator broke down three weeks ago.

Quote

Auaychai Srithong revealed on Friday that the contract between the municipality and Success Environment Management Co Ltd (SEM), the operators of the incinerator, ended on August 15.

So the incinerator broke down at the same time as the contract ended.

So who is in charge now? One would assume that the authority had another management team in place before the contract ended??

[Patje55]

12 hours ago, clockman said:

Third world, and always will be. No matter how many shopping malls they build!

Yep, the smart phones are not helping

[frank83628]

not quite right..  the rubbish dump is far from any resorts and practically in the middle of the island, no tourist would ever see or come into contact with it, local gov are dealing with it to sort the issue...rubbish is always going to be an problem on such a small island with so many visitors,  people are not leaving in droves or becoming ill or have rashes,  just someone trying to 'spice' up a story out of a none story.

 

[eliotness]

Such places need a waste minimisation plan that is enforced.  Plastic bags should be banned on the islands, composting should be mandatory. Green lifestyle could be used to attract tourists  I just wish such things could happen here, but experience has shown me the authorities, of whatever colour just don't care.

[Emster23]

Could it be that perhaps dump is not "EIA" approved? (I think that is what is on signs touting another condo, has to do with "environmental impact assessment" aka "brown envelopes" being distributed)

[Deli]

But it's more important to close Massage Parlors and to chase deck chairs off the beaches...

[ronaldo0]

One in samui broke down years ago so you can imagine the size and smell off that !!

Take all the money but try to spend nothing seems the rule of business here , no thought at all off the future business !!

[Bung]

Just tow it all out to sea and dump it.  Problem solved.  What's wrong with these people? 

[ebonykap]

Tourists flee stinking trash

 

Oh, I'm disappointed.

 

Reading the headline, I believed tourists were running from the headman and his henchmen.

 

[boomerangutang]

34 minutes ago, eliotness said:

Such places need a waste minimisation plan that is enforced.  Plastic bags should be banned on the islands, composting should be mandatory. Green lifestyle could be used to attract tourists  I just wish such things could happen here, but experience has shown me the authorities, of whatever colour just don't care.

 

My vote for 'Post Of The Day'.    Such potential for being a showcase, but.......  the mentality of the people in charge is in the gutter.

 

5 minutes ago, Bung said:

Just tow it all out to sea and dump it.  Problem solved.  What's wrong with these people? 

I hope you're joking. 

[useronthenet]

All that money the Island creates, and the administration didn't foresee the consequences of leaving such an environmental catastrophe unchecked. They should be ashamed of themselves. 

[Gold Star]

59 minutes ago, Bung said:

Just tow it all out to sea and dump it.  Problem solved.  What's wrong with these people? 

And ruin some of the best dive sites in Thailand? Encountering underwater garbage while on a dive there is already a growing problem. Too much of it already washes up on the beaches now. Transporting refuse off the island to a mainland landfill is expensive. Incineration, reduction of waste volume, and better recycling is the best solution. Fix the burner...

[williamgeorgeallen]

3 hours ago, loong said:

So the incinerator broke down at the same time as the contract ended.

So who is in charge now? One would assume that the authority had another management team in place before the contract ended??

guess the job is now being done by the lowest bidder for the contract who was the local mayors cousin. didnt they solve the problem on samui by putting tarpaulins over the heaps? perhaps that is what koh tao needs. time to start selling tarpaulins by the sound of it.

[whatproblem]

3 hours ago, loong said:

So the incinerator broke down at the same time as the contract ended.

So who is in charge now? One would assume that the authority had another management team in place before the contract ended??

That would require forward thinking ,you forget this is Thailand 

[FredNL]

17 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

With trash piling up at a rate of 30 to 40 tons a day

 

That is over 10 kg per head per day...
Something is not right here.. A normal person not even produces 10 kg of waste per week !!!

 

Otherwise losing tourist is their own damn fault. 

Edited September 7, 2016 by FredNL

[55Jay]

More Tourists = more rubbish.