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%. The waste as a whole has risen to more than 15 million tons on an annual basis, of which only 5 million could be destroyed.
The report details how Thailand the deterioration of land quality and the unfair distribution of land. Approximately 35,976,997 rai of land suffers from a critical deterioration in quality and, in addition, holdings of land for agricultural purposes have been drastically reduced.
The use and export of mineral resources has also decreased, while their imports have increased, especially for energy purposes. Nisakorn added that landfill waste nationwide amounted to 15.1 million tons, of which only 5.97 million tons could be destroyed.
Average annual rainfall was 1,707 mm, higher than normal. The report states that the water quality, including groundwater, is generally good. However, the authority continues to detect contamination by hazardous substances in industrial, agricultural, mining and waste storage areas.
The report states that the quality of coastal waters has deteriorated compared to the figures of 2 years ago. The national environmental offices report that the swamp areas are also seriously affected. The total of mangrove forests has increased from 66,886 rai in 2004 to 1,525,061 rai.
Coral reefs were degraded in many areas, killing off rare marine species such as dolphins, sea turtles, whales and manatees.
“We found that many species of animals and plants had been killed or destroyed by humans in the past year, which was called the Year of Biodiversity,” Nisakorn said.
There was a lot of illegal trade and smuggling of wildlife, especially tigers, bears and seahorses. In addition, there was a lot of illegal logging of different types of trees, such as the agar tree and teak tree.
The spread of alien animal and plant species was also a critical environmental problem, according to the report. So far, 82 species have been found in Thailand, including 7 microorganisms, 23 species of plants, 51 species of animals and a circular worm.
Adit Issarangkun na Ayutthaya, head of the team compiling the Annual Environmental Report, said it would be difficult to increase the area of forest lands because the government has launched a plan through a land bank that uses unused land, such as degraded forest land. , allocates to people who do not own land.
“Even if this is a good short-term and long-term plan for people without landowners, you will see landownership going back to the big landowners,” he said.
Translated by Bert Gringhuis
…while the area of forests had only increased by 0,1%.
That's right, those are the saplings I recently planted in my backyard.
Fortunately, that is now clear. I really wondered how they measured that 0,1%. Nice comment Hans!
0,1% is not much, but at least there will be more forest. This is in contrast to many other countries.
When I am in Isaan, every piece of waste is kept and collected. They sell it to rag farmers who drive by and buy up everything that is loose and stuck. I don't really see much junk. I do see that they keep everything until they get a good price for it. And that translates into heaps of clutter. But it's close together and doesn't swing all over the place. Personally, I would like to get rid of those mountains with collected "junk" as soon as possible, but the Thai thinks differently. He wants a good price and apparently has less trouble with the appearance of his house and its surroundings.
I too have planted saplings in front of my house.
Take a look, then that 0,1% may have been estimated on the low side!
a companion to thailandganger;
here in my area it stinks every day a few times like waste with plastic that is burned.
Unfortunately we don't have a garbage service here, that's why.
that means dioxin and other particulate matter which is really not healthy.
I bring my waste in a, yes, plastic garbage bag to the supermarkets in the area, what else?
at least there are garbage collection services there.
It's not really nice because I regularly have maggot invasions here, because I don't go every day to a super.....
So minor inconveniences, and I'm glad I'm driving a pickup so that this stinky stuff doesn't have to be transported in the passenger area..
I was also a while back on Ko Muk island NB a national park, what I found there in the way of rubbish and dirt; never seen so much filth together, and the Muslims lived comfortably in between...
I took pictures of it, a bit secretly, because I also found it very embarrassing to photograph garbage and poverty
My drinking water here in Mae Rim comes from a private well 40 meters deep and is also purified in the house.
so drinkable quality , a luxury .
In short, the environment is certainly a concern, and I will also continue to look for living/working space that smells less like burnt plastic...a utopia?
probably .
but yes it is so wonderful here! I don't think paradise exists, and there too they have coconuts that fall on your head.
Maybe Bangkok is an option?
(bangkapie)
Hans, can you perhaps tell us a bit more about that (Bangkapie)?
still a lot of work in the shop.
in bangkok, garbage is collected everywhere, but there is no question of sorting at all.
everything is dumped in 1 bag plastic glass etc.
there will still be a lot of water to flow through the sea. a thorough change of mentality is needed, but that takes time.
10 years ago, almost nothing was sorted at our place.