Apinya Wipatayotin writes,” Waste from Tak are just the tip of the iceberg as authorities fight to deal.”
PUBLISHED: 29 Apr 2024 at 06: 10
Questions about hazardous waste management have been raised by recent incidents involving cadmium tailings trafficking from Tak to some Thai provinces, including those involving harmful waste storage facilities in Rayong and Ayuthaya.
The nation produces 36 million tons of toxic spare annually, according to the Department of Pollution Control.
However, not all of it is transported to toxic waste management facilities for therapy as required by the law. In public places, improper dumping of harmful substances is frequently reported.
Sonthi Kotchawat, an economic educational, said the incidents just serve to show the government’s failing in this area, which he also attributed to a lack of regulation police and investment in the recycling business.
Treated waste
There are over 2, 500 disposal and industrial waste management plants globally. One- third of these are located in provinces linked with the Eastern Economic Corridor ( EEC ), including Chachoengsao, Prachin Buri, Chon Buri and Sa Kaeo.
Since the 2016 National Council for Peace and Order proclamation 4/2559, there have been more recycling and toxic waste management facilities.
According to the purchase, town planning laws should not be applied to spend energy vegetation and waste management vegetation, citing the immediate need to address waste management.
The government even issued so- called “evergreen” licences on the state the plants record twice a year to the expert.
This finally became a loophole, as no authority came to check the plant’s performance to ensure it was in line with the regulations.
There is no reliable system to ensure the waste will be managed properly, despite the current law stating that the waste producer is still responsible for disposing of industrial waste until the waste disposal process is finished.
” We need to change the law to reassure the public that hazardous waste will be managed properly.
We must establish a system for plant inspections. He added that local authorities ought to have the power to supervise them.
Slack law enforcement
14 local residents who complained about the plant’s environmental effects were ordered by the Rayong provincial court to pay compensation in 2022.
Due to polluted water and soil, locals could n’t earn money from farming. The court ordered the company to conduct environmental rehabilitation. However, the company refused, saying its business no longer existed.
Recently, the sites of two hazardous waste warehouses, in Ayutthaya and Rayong, were the cause of huge fires.
Dawan Chantarahassadi, coordinator of victims from the industrial pollution network, said the government should urgently abolish order 4/2559 to limit harmful activity.
She added that law enforcement is crucial to putting an end to the problem, particularly when it comes to procedures to handle hazardous waste.
She claimed that the civil sector’s proposed draft of the Pollutant Release and Transfer Register ( PRTR ) will help to lessen the issue and that more information will be made available to the general public.
The draft has been submitted for parliament’s consideration.
Meanwhile, Chutiphong Pipoppinyo, Rayong’s Move Forward Party representative, said state agencies have failed to deal with chemical blazes.
Without a proper plan to manage the situation, locals always suffer the most, both in terms of loss of income and lack of a clean living environment, he said.
He suggested that the funds for hazardous chemical accidents be used to fund training and compensation for the locals who are impacted by the accidents.
Our members of parliament are concerned and will bring up the matter. To avoid making the same error, we should have a promising outcome.
” The hazardous haze has caused a severe impact on people and the environment, and more importantly, it takes time and budget for recovery”, he said.