FRIDAY, March 29, 2024
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Krabi locals complain about ‘stinky, black’ discharge from palm oil factory

Krabi locals complain about ‘stinky, black’ discharge from palm oil factory

Plaipraya District locals from Krabi have called for help after the water in their local canal became increasingly filthy and black, which they said is caused by the discharge of wastewater from a palm oil factory located at the top of the canal.

In addition to the issues of the smell and colour of the canal, fish have died in waterways for several kilometres around the factory discharge, they said. 
“It happened a few times before this year but it wasn’t as serious as this time,” said 35-year-old Jiradet Saengprom, a Krabi local who claims to be affected by the wastewater problem. He believes the heavy rain on Tuesday has made the problem worse than usual.

Krabi locals complain about ‘stinky, black’ discharge from palm oil factory
 “I took a shower near the dam of the canal and noticed that the water had changed from clear to black with a stinky smell and I saw some floating dead fish. I believe this is because of the wastewater that the palm oil factory releases illegally.”
Meanwhile, 49-year-old Somsri Saengprom, from the same area, said about 30 households in the area say they are affected by the wastewater in the canal as they use the water daily for consumption and agriculture.
“I want the responsible department and the owner of the factory to show their responsibility towards this matter. If the canal is not cleaned before the dry season, the local people in the area will be lacking clean water for consumption,” she said.
The Chief of the Krabi Provincial Office of Industry, Tassanee Pakdeeprapan, told the Phuket Gazette that she had already acknowledged and has asked the owner of the palm oil factory about the wastewater.
She has found that the wastewater comes from a leak at the factory’s wastewater treatment lagoon.
“I’ve asked the owner of the factory to fix the problem immediately and [on December 28], I’ll send some officials to check on the progress,” she said.

Source: https://www.phuketgazette.net/news/krabi-locals-complain-waste-water-palm-oil-factory

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