Statement of the Week: "Thailand is going to lose tourists due to the poor air quality in the dry season!"
Thailand is shooting itself in the foot by failing to act adequately against an annually recurring problem. The persistent poor air quality in the dry season is a problem that the Thai government is not taking sufficient action against.
Thailand faces many environmental problems. Water, land and air pollution are serious in many places in Thailand. I give a short description of the state of the environment, something about the causes and backgrounds and the current approach. Finally, a more detailed explanation of the environmental problems around the large industrial area Map Ta Phut in Rayong. I also describe the protests of environmental activists.
Last weekend, a ferry capsized off the coast of Koh Samui during stormy weather. The Ministry of National Resources and Environment will sue the ferry company for damage to the environment.
Smog back in Bangkok
The smog returned to the Thai capital on Tuesday morning. At seven measuring stations, PM 2.5 fine dust particles were measured above the safe value, up to 57 micrograms per cubic meter of air.
Thailand and six other Asian countries are going to work together to tackle plastic pollution in the sea. Asian countries are increasingly criticized worldwide for plastic pollution in the region.
Isan opposition to potassium mining
There is a consensus among certain Thai populations that the people of Isaan are a bunch of backward assholes. They don't pay taxes and stubbornly vote for the wrong politicians. Not even the military can help with the latter…
Thailand wants to ban plastic
The Thai government wants to ban the use of plastic, such as straws and cups, but also Styrofoam. That goal must be achieved by mid-2022.
'Municipality of Bangkok and government cheat with safety margins for particulate matter'
An editorial in the Bangkok Post shows that there is quite a bit of juggling with the figures about particulate matter in Bangkok. The level of PM 2,5 varies from 70 to 100 micrograms per cubic meter, the newspaper says.
We've talked about it before on this blog, the pollution of the sea around Thailand is mainly caused by plastic waste. It is an absolute necessity that measures are taken to combat this horrendous environmental pollution.
Waste and pollution in Thailand
It is incomprehensible that a country like Thailand, which is struggling with major pollution, still imports waste from Singapore and Hong Kong, among others. It would then concern recyclable products from electronic and plastic waste.
A dead green sea turtle is the next sad example of the slow destruction of marine life. The animal was sick and could no longer eat and veterinarians tried to save the turtle. That is no longer possible because the animal had an enormous amount of plastic, rubber bands, pieces of balloon and other waste in its intestines.
The discovery of a dead pilot whale (short fin whale) in Songkhla province with 80 plastic bags in its stomach has awakened many Thais to the issue of marine litter and the threat of the plastic soup to the marine ecosystem.
Although much has been written about pollution in Thailand in the broadest sense of the word, the country is not alone in this.
Hotels biggest polluters of Saen Saep canal in Bangkok
Wastewater is discharged at 412 locations in the Saen Saep canal in Bangkok. The largest polluters are hotels (38,6%), followed by condominiums (25%), hospitals (20,4%) and the other illegal discharges come from restaurants and offices. No research has been done into households, according to the Pollution Control Department.
Thailand needs to get rid of plastic addiction step by step
Thais love plastic. It is therefore not possible to reduce the amount of plastic waste. Nevertheless, there are occasional bright spots to report. At the request of the Pollution Control Department (PCD), nine producers of bottled drinking water are discontinuing the plastic cap seal. The PCD aims for half of the manufacturers to stop using plastic seals by next year and all manufacturers by 2019.
Thai army cleans up beaches
The Thai army has revealed that it has cleaned up a number of beaches near Hua Hin with 100 soldiers over the past few days and the result was a 100-ton mess. The waste collected in 5 days consisted of plastic bottles, plastic bags, polystyrene packaging material and much more.
Mercury pollution threat to Thai health
High concentrations of mercury have been found in residents of eight provinces with gold mines, coal-fired power stations and heavy industry. This is evident from hair samples from 68 people from Rayong and Prachin Buri, among others, which were collected last year by the environmental group Earth.