Black wastewater returns
Black wastewater returned to both Bang Tao Beach in Cherng Talay and Kamala Beach last week, with local residents at Bang Tao last Friday (Feb 23) demanding action from authorities to remedy the situation.
A post appeared on the Monsoon Garbage Thailand Facebook page explaining that black wastewater was accumulating at the Bang Tao canal at the beach before being released into the sea despite numerous and ongoing calls from local residents to address the problem to better manage what appears to be polluted water.
“According to the locals, the water in the area is black and smelly and has flowed into the sea many times, despite complaints to the concerned authorities, but the problem is not permanently resolved,” the post explained.
The situation “has affected the citizens, local fishermen and tourists visiting the area have suffered a lot of trouble as well as clearly affecting the image and ruining the image of the beautiful tourist town of Phuket province,” the post added.
The post prompted Dr Jaturong Kongkaew, Deputy Dean for Administration and Human Resources at the Faculty of Technology and Environment of Prince of Songkla University Phuket Campus, to visit the scene and inspect the situation.
Following inspection, Dr Jaturong claimed the wastewater being released from the local treatment plant in Bang Tao was being impacted by algae accumulating in the canal which had caused the water to appear darker than usual.
Dr Jaturong admitted that from afar the algae appeared to give the impression that the water in the canal was tainted due to enhanced concentration of the moss but when inspected at close hand it was clear.
He also confirmed that the water is clear by the time it flows from the canal to the sea in the area where many foreign tourists swim and that it was also odourless.
Dr Jaturong further explained that during the dry season there is far less natural water around and that there is often an increase in moss and algae at this time.
A possible solution to the situation, he suggested, would be to install an additional water turbine which would in turn add oxygen to the water before its release from the treatment plant.
Dr Jaturong also advised further inspection at the Bang Tao water treatment plant to ensure there were no faults with equipment and that the water was flowing at the correct speed.
He concluded by saying that he would submit his inspection report to the Cherng Talay Mayor for him and officials to discuss and explore further.
The wastewater treatment plant at Bang Tao was built between 2007 and 2017 by private sector companies at a cost of B355 million.
KAMALA Wastewater was also blamed for turning the water in the main canal through Kamala black and emitting a foul odour. The water from the canal flows across Kamala Beach and into the water where tourists swim.
Tourists who The Phuket News spoke with last week shook their heads at the polluted water flowing into the sea. One tourist questioned by the local government did not do anything about it.
Local business operators said the same.“It’s been a problem for a long time, but no agency has come forward to solve the problem with a long-term solution,” one operator at the beach said.
“Each year after receiving a complaint, officials come to inspect the water quality, then they disappear,” the operator added.
“This has been allowed for a long time. Wastewater in the canal gives off a bad smell. It’s annoying to tourists and damages the image of Kamala Beach, which is a famous beach in Phuket,” the operator said.
Many of the foreign tourists at Kamala Beach still played in the water, but many tried to avoid going near the black water flowing into the sea.
While Kamala Tambon Administrative Organisation (OrBorTor) has yet to publicly recognise the black water in the canal emptying across the beach this year, Kamala Mayor Jutha Dumlak only days earlier led an event with a local hotel group to announce the launch of the ‘Go Zero Waste: Save Our Ocean’ project. The launch event was held on Kamala Beach.