A clean beach, who doesn't want that?
It all started a few months ago, the high season started with the arrival of several Dutch, Belgian, French…. tourists. Here in Chumphon province we have beautiful, endless beaches. Not yet overrun by mass tourism and therefore suitable for a nice relaxing holiday.
Thung Wualean Beach is one of them. Here, along the coastline, several resorts, restaurants are located. The cleanliness on these beaches is not a problem at all as the resort owners have the beaches cleaned at their back door almost daily. But once a few hundred meters further, the misery begins… especially plastic. Where does all this junk come from? Primarily from elsewhere. Due to the sea currents, quite a bit of rubbish is washed ashore, who knows where?
Coastal fishing is also very popular here, especially scampi and squid. The local fishermen throw a lot of rubbish into the sea. Broken lamps, empty bottles, plastic bags…. everything usually just goes overboard after use. Then there are also people who use the river, which flows into the sea, as a public rubbish dump and just throw just about everything they can no longer use into the water. There are even those who, instead of dumping their bags of rubbish in the rubbish bins along the road, stop quickly at the bridge and quickly dump it into the river. In the end, of course, all of this ends up on some beach somewhere.
On Sunday afternoon, when it is the big market in Sapphli, several Farangs have a kind of gathering at Oak, a cafe on a raised terrace that offers a view of the local market. Here, between pot and pint, the subject came up and it turned out that quite a few people were annoyed by the condition of the beaches of Thung Wualean, which are located outside the resorts. Nora, was the person who would take the initiative and try to get the local authorities involved. A meeting with the mayor of Sapphli, a local newspaper, the local school was scheduled. And yes, there was interest because the meeting took place on a Friday. Since the beaches are mainly used by Thai weekend tourists, it was better not to baptize the child in the name of the Farangs, but of the Thai people. Several initiatives were agreed and a few meetings later something came out:
- two large signs would be placed on the bridge clearly written and illustrated not to empty garbage bags into the river;
- provide the local fishermen with a large free garbage bag when they go out;
- on Fridays, after school, let the youth help with collecting mostly plastic on the beach.
Of course something would have to be done in return. This would give the helping children a sweet, a drink and, above all, the chance to brush up on their English.
The initiative eventually got off the ground. A large article appeared in the local newspaper. It was talked about in the school and yes…. the clean-ups started. On one particular day, there were even a hundred children on site. The mayor, Mister Jew (Pisit is always present as well as some Thai men, several Farangs… Now that it is school holidays, things are running a bit less, but it continues.
Possibly an initiative that can be followed in other regions than here in Sapphli. Nature is dear to us and who doesn't like to sit on a tidy beach? The main aim is to sensitize people not to use the sea as a rubbish dump.
This activity takes place every Friday at 16.00pm at Sapphli Old Pier and everyone is welcome.
The next step will be: addressing the students in schools to draw their attention to why it is so important not to throw plastic in the sea or along the side of the road ... so to be continued.
LS Lung addie
Nice initiative LS Lung adie, pollution takes place on almost all islands unfortunately, such an initiative as this has been happening on Koh Lanta for years, but after cleaning up, the landfill unfortunately continues.
Ban Phe (Rayon) is also a beautiful beach, but unfortunately when the weekend has passed and the buses with disco youngsters have left for Bangkok again, the tide line is littered with (plastic) waste.
The local government can easily do something about this. (Bus driver point this out for example)
Great scheme!!!!!
We have been coming to Khao Thakiab (suanson beach) for years. The roads to the beach are beautiful, but such a shame that so much is dumped by the owners of the beach bars.
Hopefully this can also be addressed?
lung addie,
This is a very good initiative, if it continues to work and can be followed by other coastal areas, it would be more than welcome for the entire Thai coast. Personally, I know a few people here in Cha-Am who are involved in all kinds of initiatives, but whether the beach I don't know if cleaning up is part of that. One of these days I will talk to someone from that group to see if they can put this on their agenda.
Sven
Very nice initiative, this deserves imitation.
Could you perhaps try to have a local TV channel make a short documentary about this, after which it will pass it on to a national TV channel?
Who knows what beautiful consequences this can have!
Worldwide, an amount equal to the contents of a truckload of plastic, cans, etc. is dumped into the oceans EVERY MINUTE. This has to stop!
@Kees,
First get something straight because credit where credit is due. As mentioned in the article, this started at Nora's initiative. Nora asked me to also make this initiative known via this blog, which I did. So I function more as an “on-the-spot reporter”.
Trying to switch on a local TV channel is a very good idea. I'll poke around in my circle of acquaintances to see if I can find someone who has something to say about local TV or radio. There will probably be some Thai radio amateur who has something to do with this medium.
Yes in jomtien the overflow water including street dirt is discharged into the sea,
The water where the outlet discharges into the sea about 200 /300 meters into the sea,
Is a large brown mass Including plastic waste, so in my opinion the government closes its eyes,
THE sea takes care of it,
Gr marhan
Was on Rayong beach a few weeks ago. What I saw there was beyond imagination. Plastic, shoes, lamps, cans, broken chairs, even mattresses were on the beach.
The beach there is used as a garbage dump. Who can understand that? How do you solve that?
Don't the Thais realize that they are scaring tourists away? Isn't this paid any attention in schools?
Hope they come to an understanding soon; it will be necessary !!
Occurs in many countries in Asia. Bali, Philippines have a big problem with this. But also increasingly in Europe (the Netherlands) or the Canary Islands.
Likewise Thailand. In Thai Visa Forum you can sometimes read that a farang takes his own initiative to clean the beach, as happened in Pattaya and thought Hua Hin. Of which the Thai is then impressed and the actions are praised.
However, it is more important that the Thai, and not just the Thai, are made aware of what they are doing and the government must arrange a garbage approach. This costs money in the short term, but will pay off in the future. You also create jobs with it.
After all, staying away from tourists will cost considerably more.
The government therefore has blind short-term planning and keeps money in pocket. Just like Indonesia does with Bali.
Ships are a different story, because they literally throw all the garbage overboard. There seems to be a gigantic island of plastic floating in the oceans.
Everything is a mindset issue. I grew up with my parents putting a piece of candy in your pocket and throwing it away later. And after a day at the beach we left the place clean.
Humans will soon have to realize that they are destroying their own habitat.