Factories work with communities on master plan

In a bid to balance economic growth with sustainable living in the industrial areas of Rayong’s Ban Chang district, manufacturers in the Asia Industrial Estate have teamed up with villagers and the authorities on a master plan for development.
“Working together with local people to develop the community is the key to resolving problems at the roots,” said Wachiraporn Pothipong, public affairs manager for Dow Chemical, which is heading up the initiative.
Ban Chang has 20 villages and about 113,000 people. More than half – about 63,000 – are local residents, while the other 50,000 are non-registered residents. The district is also home to more than 70 factories, most of them chemical plants.
Dow Chemical, established in the district for more than 20 years, has asked the Population and Community Development Association (PDA) to help draw up the master plan.
Over the next five months, the PDA will survey the problems in the villages, with a focus on the economy, social development, public health and the environment.
“We will help villagers develop their communities,” PDA deputy director Wilas Techo said.
The plan will then be handed to local authorities. Manufacturers would then be expected to comply with regulations developed under the plan.
Boonyod Ngarmdee, headman of Tambon Ban Chang Moo 2, said he wants manufacturers to reduce air pollution. The factories should also inform the communities about hazardous chemicals that are being used.
In nearby Map Ta Phut municipality, authorities have been working since last year to finalise a new city plan. It will reduce the 40,000-rai industrial zone by half and create a 9,475-rai buffer between factories and residential areas. And, 15 square kilometres of sea adjacent to the Map Ta Phut Industrial Estate will be designated as a conservation area.
Port construction would be allowed, but no land reclamation would be permitted. A strip of land about 50 metres wide extending from the boundary fence of the industrial zone would be designated as a protection strip.
The new plan covers seven municipalities, including Map Ta Phut, Ban Chang, Map Kha Pattana, Pla, Tap Ma and Nern Pra.
It also calls for the relocation of three villages near the industrial zone – Huay Pong, Map Cha Lood and Nong Fhep.
The city plan was drafted last year, and villagers have expressed concern over the time it is taking to finalise it.
Suthi Atchasai, leader of the Eastern People’s Network, said the uncertainty was causing much worry among residents.
“They are under stress because they don’t know whether they will have to move their houses or continue to stay in the village,” he said. “They want the local authorities to speed up their process to announce the new city plan.”