Isoc investigates B72m ‘idle’ rubbish plant

Waste facility left to rot after mishap 5 years ago

NAKHON PHANOM: A 72-million-baht garbagesorting plant left idle for five years after breaking down and posing a risk of air and water pollution is being investigated for irregularities.

Maj Gen Thap Uthitsan, assistant to chief of operations of the Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc), said yesterday his agency is taking action on behalf of the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) after locals complained about foul smells from large piles of garbage left at the plant in Na Kae district.

Usually, Isoc deals with national security, not local pollution complaints. Yet the NCPO in November ordered the formation of provincial Isoc offices to handle complaints by local communities.

The facility, built by Na Kae municipality in 2011, was only operational for two years, according to an initial investigation.

Officials of Na Kae municipality, who complained about the high maintenance costs, decided to shut it down and left it unattended for five years.

The Office of the Auditor-General (OAG) already investigated the facility and announced last year it was a “worthless construction”, said Col Chak Sichinda as he, together with local officials and villagers, visited the site yesterday.

He wondered why the issue has dragged on despite the fact that OAG officials had already come up with their findings.

State agencies overseeing the area, must “speed up legal and disciplinary action against everyone” involved in any alleged irregularities, Col Chak stressed.

Last April, the OAG’s Regional Special Audit Office 5 found the garbage-sorting plant had broken down and could not be fixed.

The office reportedly set up a committee to work on criminal and civil action against any wrongdoers, but there has been little progress over the past year.

As the case came to a grinding halt, residents of Ban Phon Sawan, where the plant is located, had to deal with growing piles of garbage. The amounts were worrying because the facility had been built to deal with rubbish from four districts — Na Kae, That Phanom, Renu Nakhon and Wang Yang.

The plant had to deal with up to 20 tonnes of garbage on a daily basis.

After the garbage-sorting system failed to work, the plant became a dumpsite though its operators said they intended to turn it into a landfill.

Yesterday’s inspection discovered methods used to bury waste below ground, Maj Gen Thap said, adding “this landfill lacks good management”.

The NCPO is taking these issues seriously, Maj Gen Thap insisted. Military officers under the Isoc’s office in Nakhon Phanom will continue to keep a close eye on what is being done to solve the garbage problems.