Environmental report Thailand paints a gloomy picture
By: Janjira Pongrai – The Nation The Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policies and Planning (ONREPP) yesterday released its 2010 Environmental Report, which presented a pessimistic outlook. ONREPP Secretary General Nisakorn Kositrat said at a press conference that 30 million rai of land had deteriorated, while the area under forests had increased by only 0,1%. Waste as a whole has risen to more than 15 million tons on an annual basis, of which only 5 million …
Waste mountain on Thai islands (video)
Tourism in Thailand has led to economic prosperity, but also has a downside: environmental degradation. The tourists who visit the tropical Thai islands en masse cause a huge mountain of waste.
Sukhumvit has the most dusty places in Bangkok
by Hans Bos Sukhumvit, Bangkok's most famous street, has the most dusty places in the entire city. Breathing in these places poses a direct health risk. This is according to a study by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA). This tests fixed places in the city three times a year for 24 hours. In many places there is talk of 300 mpcm (million particles per cubic meter), while the limit is 120 mpcm. At the cross road …
The polluted beaches of Thailand
by Hans Bos Thailand's beaches are drowning in their own dirt. Only six of the 233 surveyed beaches, spread across 18 provinces, received the maximum five stars from the Pollution Control Department (PCD). The rest have to make do with less, mainly due to pollution and other human activities. 56 beaches get four stars, 142 get three stars, while 29 beaches get no more than two stars. The six beaches with the maximum …
The Thai fight against plastic
by Hans Bos Together with chain stores, the Thai government is fighting against the excessive use of plastic bags. The purchase cannot be so small that the buyer receives at least one, but sometimes two bags around it. You could say that the Thai are addicted to plastic bags. If they don't get it at Tesco Lotus, Carrefour or Big C, they feel that the store is lacking something ...
Crematoria at temples unfriendly to the environment
by Hans Bos The conclusion of a thousand funeral directors, monks and coffin sellers in Thailand was clear: 21.000 of the 27.000 Buddhist temples do not have a crematorium that generates sufficient heat. As a result, toxic substances such as dioxin enter the environment. An 'afterburner' costs the temples too much money. The cause is not only due to the more than 300.000 remains that are burned annually, but even more so due to all the matters that the relatives in the …
toxic thailand
Thailand has one of the fastest growing economies in Southeast Asia. The downside of this growth is that highly environmentally polluting companies are also establishing themselves in Thailand. Due to the extra employment, the Thai government does not impose strict environmental requirements on companies that invest in Thailand. The number of cancer cases of Thai people who work or live at such companies has increased sharply. A recent ruling by a Thai court has led to 76 polluting…