Water quality problems impact Chiang Mai and Surin

[webfact]

Water quality problems impact Chiang Mai and Surin

 

SURIN, 10th July 2017 (NNT) – Residents of Ta Thoom Sub-district of Surin, have reported they are under duress due to an infestation of water hyacinth that has ruined a local reservoir, while Chiang Mai officials continue pumping water into the city's moats to try to push out stagnant water. 

Water in Chiang Mai’s city moats has gone bad, emitting a foul odor and growing green algae. The deterioration comes despite efforts by authorities in May to rejuvenate the waterways. 

Meanwhile, some 4,500 residents of Surin’s Ta Thoom are suffering from a shortage of water as overgrown water hyacinth has ruined their local fresh water supply. The prevalence of the water weeds, over the past year, has led to local reservoirs now emitting a foul odor and the population of pests to soar. Residents are pleading for assistance from the state.

 

-- nnt 2017-07-10

[seajae]

maybe if they stopped using the waterways as their personal rubbish tips it might help, the water stinks because of what they put in it, the water is usually black because they refuse to keep it clean and free from rubbish/whatever they dump into it. Water hyacinth should be removed and dried then chopped up to use as a compost but that would require someone to actually work.

[Nowisee]

Quite a few larger water areas (reservoirs) have taken on a green hue and the hyacinth are completely taking over.  

[NCC1701A]

here in Hua Hin the water coming into my house is filthy.

 

and it smells horrible.

[Grubster]

7 hours ago, seajae said:

maybe if they stopped using the waterways as their personal rubbish tips it might help, the water stinks because of what they put in it, the water is usually black because they refuse to keep it clean and free from rubbish/whatever they dump into it. Water hyacinth should be removed and dried then chopped up to use as a compost but that would require someone to actually work.

Yes it would be a great idea to have the government hire local farmers to do this job and clean out garbage at the same time. I believe that water hyacinth is one of the fastest growing plants and when it dies it rots and stinks.

[Grubster]

7 minutes ago, Father Fintan Stack said:

Thailand is a filthy country. They go on about national pride yet litter everywhere. Something I can never understand. I never litter, here or at home.

 

The small khlong at the end of my soi in Bangkok is clogged with rubbish and it stinks. No-one seems to take responsibility and no-one cares. 

 

Seems like they are happy to live in their own filth, and don't take kindly to any criticism.

 

Up to them. 

The government sure doesn't make it easy to get rid of garbage, should be part of a good infrastructure. I remember back in the 60s when the US rivers were terribly polluted and lake erie was on fire.

[electric]

Water hyacinth is a real problem in many tropical countries, and I understand that lots of scientists are working on trying to find a viable commercial use, or biological control for this weed.

 

Fertilizer and biofuel seems to be the popular thoughts, but this stuff is like watermelons .... nearly all water.

 

There's a fortune for someone that can discover an economically viable commercial use for this stuff. Put a value on it, and people will harvest it.

 

It does surprise me that I often see smallish rivers and canals clogged with hyacinth. You'd think the local authorities could deal with their own Amphurs

 

Would be ideal work for minimum security prisoner community work groups. All it needs is some organised cheap manpower to chip away at this stuff. Time is pretty irrelevant.

 

 

[Grubster]

4 minutes ago, Father Fintan Stack said:

They collect taxes but we still have to pay for rubbish collection services to the rubbish collectors themselves.

I wish we had rubbish collectors

[soalbundy]

8 hours ago, Nowisee said:

Quite a few larger water areas (reservoirs) have taken on a green hue and the hyacinth are completely taking over.  

This didn't happen overnight, they watched it happen then complained 

[Grubster]

6 minutes ago, soalbundy said:

This didn't happen overnight, they watched it happen then complained 

This stuff is a huge problem in Florida where they have lots of money to try to stop it, they are not winning the battle, unless they spray chemicals to kill it.

[tracker1]

There was a weevil they were trialing in Australia but as we know Thailand goes it alone to reinvent the wheel ! Pig food is another option of turn it into compost ! 

[Johnnyngai]

15 hours ago, Father Fintan Stack said:

Thailand is a filthy country. They go on about national pride yet litter everywhere. Something I can never understand. I never litter, here or at home.

 

The small khlong at the end of my soi in Bangkok is clogged with rubbish and it stinks. No-one seems to take responsibility and no-one cares. 

 

Seems like they are happy to live in their own filth, and don't take kindly to any criticism.

 

Up to them. 

Typical  third world country. 

[anto]

That was a job i had recently on my working holiday in Australia .Pulling up water weed from a lake in a Winery .It looked like green sea weed and had taken over the lake .Very hard to pull it out .

[Cadbury]

16 hours ago, Grubster said:

Yes it would be a great idea to have the government hire local farmers to do this job and clean out garbage at the same time. I believe that water hyacinth is one of the fastest growing plants and when it dies it rots and stinks.

You are quite right Grubster, hiring local out-of-work farmers would be a good idea to help clean things up. A win/win solution for everyone.

 

One small problem I see is that the funds would have to go to some shonky local administrator for distribution and there it would end and the money would never be seen again. Thais seemingly have no checks and balances systems in place and the word "audit" is not in their vocabulary.

[Nowisee]

2 hours ago, anto said:

That was a job i had recently on my working holiday in Australia .Pulling up water weed from a lake in a Winery .It looked like green sea weed and had taken over the lake .Very hard to pull it out .

I volunteered with an organization cleaning up the greenbelt areas in Seattle.  The biggest problem is the English Ivy.. have to dig it up and if you leave one tiny bulb...fuggin grows right back in 2 years... It kills big trees.
The forests here have some sort of tree killing ivy too.

 

1 hour ago, Cadbury said:

You are quite right Grubster, hiring local out-of-work farmers would be a good idea to help clean things up. A win/win solution for everyone.

 

One small problem I see is that the funds would have to go to some shonky local administrator for distribution and there it would end and the money would never be seen again. Thais seemingly have no checks and balances systems in place and the word "audit" is not in their vocabulary.

So true...by the time each head person in the distribution chain pinches his 10-15% there's nothing left at the end.  Amazing.  I challenge every university student to ask the uni pres... "where's the money?"

I did see a group of students cleaning out a small lake at the university last year... now its completely choked again.  

[overherebc]

18 hours ago, electric said:

Water hyacinth is a real problem in many tropical countries, and I understand that lots of scientists are working on trying to find a viable commercial use, or biological control for this weed.

 

Fertilizer and biofuel seems to be the popular thoughts, but this stuff is like watermelons .... nearly all water.

 

There's a fortune for someone that can discover an economically viable commercial use for this stuff. Put a value on it, and people will harvest it.

 

It does surprise me that I often see smallish rivers and canals clogged with hyacinth. You'd think the local authorities could deal with their own Amphurs

 

Would be ideal work for minimum security prisoner community work groups. All it needs is some organised cheap manpower to chip away at this stuff. Time is pretty irrelevant.

 

 

Good post but your biggest flaw in it is using the word 'organised'

?

[Grubster]

5 hours ago, Cadbury said:

You are quite right Grubster, hiring local out-of-work farmers would be a good idea to help clean things up. A win/win solution for everyone.

 

One small problem I see is that the funds would have to go to some shonky local administrator for distribution and there it would end and the money would never be seen again. Thais seemingly have no checks and balances systems in place and the word "audit" is not in their vocabulary.

The good ones spend 50% on the project and keep the rest.