Asia (Page 2,484)

Experts argue local ecosystem will suffer

Officials from The Royal Irrigation Department (RID) and the Office of the National Water Resources (ONWR) on Tuesday will visit the site of a new water tunnel network set to be built in Kanchanaburi’s Salak Phra Wildlife Sanctuary which has drawn local flak.

The tunnels are supposed to deal cope with summer droughts but have raised concerns by conservationists that they will affect the local ecosystem.

The RID claims the project will stem drought and water shortages in the eastern part of Kanchanaburi province, covering the districts of Bo Phloi, Huay Krachao, Lao Khwan, Nong Prue and Phanom Thuan.

The project’s impact on the environment has been assessed, said an RID source.

He said construction will last five years from 2027 to 2032, under a budget of 11,758.80 million baht.

The 20.5-kilometre tunnel will divert water from Srinakarind Dam on the western side of the province to the Lam Iee Su reservoir, where the water will be further distributed to the districts.

The tunnel is expected to carry about 2.97 million cubic metres per year which will benefit 486,098 rai of agricultural land, he said.

However, conservationists and environmental activists say they are concerned about the impact it may have on the local ecosystem and wildlife.

One source from the Salak Phra Wildlife Sanctuary said although the water division project suggested seven possible routes, all would affect the forest, especially the first and fifth routes which will go through a Class A watershed, an ecologically sensitive area in which environmental law forbids construction activity.

The two routes will also cut through the Thung Salak Phra lowland and Thung Na Mon highland, which are home to a range of plants and wild animals, water sources as well as over 100 of the sanctuary’s mineral licks.

“These areas are classified as nature reserve zones. They are rich in plantlife and forests that provide a habitat for wild animals and create river sources. These areas are not allowed to be exploited and must be left in their original natural states,” the source said.

The Seub Nakhasathien Foundation on Saturday expressed opposition to the tunnel, saying there are better options to cope with drought in Kanchanaburi. Ecosystems in the sanctuary should be spared, it said.

Thais consume about 23 teaspoons of sugar per day, which is almost four times higher than the sugar intake standard, says Thai Health Promotion Foundation (ThaiHealth).

The World Health Organization’s recommended intake is six teaspoons per day.

Assistant Chief Executive Officer of ThaiHealth Pairoj Saonuam said on Sunday that excessive sugar consumption was one of the biggest causes of heart attacks, strokes, cancers and diabetes among Thais.

Most of that sugar comes from sugary drinks, he said, saying manufacturers of sweet drinks should reduce the amount of sugar in their beverages.

Mr Pairoj added that ThaiHealth has worked with other organisations, including the Excise Department, Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Public Health to improve the situation by levying a sugar tax under the Excise Act 2017 on drinks containing excess sugar.

He said a tax on sugary drinks has resulted in a 35% increase in the sale of lower-sugar alternatives and reduced overall sugar consumption to 23 teaspoons per day.

Also, data from the Office of the Cane and Sugar Board shows sugar consumption fell from 27 teaspoons per day in 2017 to 23 teaspoons per person per day in 2021.

The amended excise tax structure on beverages came into force in 2017 and classified levels of sugar content in beverages per 100 millilitres.

Below six grammes is tax-exempt while a sugar content of 6-8g has been taxed at 30 satang per litre, 8-10g (one baht), 10-14g (three baht), 14-18g and more than 18g (five baht per litre).

SURAT THANI: A British tourist went missing after falling from his kayak in the Rajjaprabha Dam in Ban Ta Khun district yesterday morning. Rescue efforts were underway as of press time last night.

Ban Ta Khun station police said Gowribalan Shanghaman, 24, fell into the water about 9am while kayaking about 50–60km from the dam’s crest.

Worapoj Lomlim, head of Khao Sok National Park, said Mr Shanghaman and his friend stayed at the Kraisorn rafthouse before leaving to kayak in the morning. His friend later returned from the reservoir and told officials the man fell about 500 metres from the rafthouse, Mr Worapoj said.

Four scuba divers from the Cheow Lan municipal office were sent to find the missing man, he said. Mr Worapote said the water at the spot where the man went missing was about 50 metres deep, the deepest in the reservoir.

However, the divers lost visibility due to the water’s cold temperature and its murkiness, he said. The search and rescue operation was ongoing.

According to Mr Worapoj, the man and his friend may have violated park regulations for failing to report to the authorities before going on the water. They also did not wear life vests, he said.

In other news, the Phuket Info Centre said on Facebook yesterday that a tourist boat had capsized near Koh Lading in Krabi. No passenger was reported injured.

A long-tailed boat carrying seven passengers was travelling around Than Bok Khorani National Park before it capsized about 10am, the centre said. All the passengers were rescued by foreign passengers of a speedboat.

Tidal waves 2–3-metre-high are expected in the area until tomorrow, prompting the park to ban visitors from swimming at beaches around the park, the centre said.

Trat: The value of cross-border trade between Trat and Cambodia’s Koh Kong province is expected to surge this year despite a slight drop in trade volume in the previous fiscal year.

Natthawut Saradan, assistant chief of Klongyai Customs House at Hat Lek border channel opposite Koh Kong, said Hat Lek-Koh Kong cross-border trade in the previous fiscal year amounted to 31.8 billion baht, a drop from 33.9 billion baht in the 2022 fiscal year.

The fiscal year begins on Oct 1.

From October to December last year, which marks the first quarter of the current fiscal year, trade through the channel topped 6.8 billion baht.

That volume is expected to grow for the rest of the fiscal year, averaging at least 2.9 billion baht a month, he said.

Mr Natthawut attributed the prior drop to new Cambodian regulations requiring foreign businesses to travel all the way to Phnom Penh to pay import tax duty rather than at Koh Kong.

He added a better road linking the Hat Lek immigration office and Cambodia’s immigration checkpoint was needed, and would also ramp up trade volumes and tourism revenue.

Thitidet Thongpat, deputy chairman of the Koh Kong Special Economic Zone, said the industrial estate also has played an important role in boosting the trans-border trade volume.

Goods produced at the estate, which is owned by Thai investors, are exported to Thailand through border channels in Trat, which has pushed up commerce between the countries despite Cambodia running a trade deficit.

Suneewan Nobthai, chief of Trat’s finance office, said the drop in trade via the Hat Lek channel in the previous fiscal year was also the result of Cambodia’s slowing economy.

This came as a result of general global economic sluggishness, she said.

Compounding the misery, it has hurt Cambodia’s internal demand for goods and people’s purchasing power, she added.