Koh Loi residents face severe rubbish and mud post-flood crisis

Residents of Koh Loi in Chiang Rai are grappling with overwhelming amounts of rubbish and mud following severe flooding. The floodwaters from the Kok River, which surged on September 11, have left the community struggling to clean up, with waste accumulating and emitting foul odours.

Flooding has severely impacted the Koh Loi and Thoet Phra Kiat communities, causing significant damage to nearly every household. Despite a week passing since the flood, the damage remains evident.

The streets and parks, particularly those near the river, are piled with rubbish, creating an unbearable stench. The local municipality has been unable to keep up with the cleanup efforts, leading to the current state of disarray.

Paiwal Dechpol, a member of the Chiang Rai municipal council and resident of Koh Loi, expressed her shock at the severity of the flooding. She noted that although the municipality issued warnings, nobody anticipated the floodwaters would rise so high, as it was caused by a powerful and rapid flash flood.

Paiwal compared this recent flood to an event 30 years ago.

“Back then, it was just clear water up to our ankles. This time, the problem lies not only with the floodwater but also the waste and mud it left behind.”

The pressing issue now is removing the waste and cleaning the mud. Despite the municipality deploying 80 garbage trucks, the cleanup operations are lagging. With 34 communities and over 10,000 families affected, the scale of the task is immense.

Rubbish crisis

Paiwal emphasised the need for more resources.

“We don’t need more relief packages now; we need more trucks to collect the rubbish and water jets to wash away the mud.”

Moo Norrat, the chairman of the Koh Loi community, highlighted that all 400 households in the area have suffered damage from the flood. The immediate concern is to expedite the removal of rubbish to prevent further deterioration of living conditions.

Suebsakul Kitnukorn, an academic from Mae Fah Luang University and a volunteer aiding migrant workers in Chiang Rai, disclosed plans to collaborate with the municipality for a night-time rubbish removal operation on September 20 from 7pm to midnight.

The decision to work at night stems from the heavy daytime traffic, which hinders cleanup efforts. The municipality will provide one backhoe and three garbage trucks to assist in this operation.

Suebsakul emphasised that if resources from nearby provinces were mobilised with a well-structured plan, the clean-up could proceed more swiftly. However, effective leadership is crucial, reported KhaoSod.

“If directed by the Committee for Flood, Storm, and Landslide Management and the newly established Flood Relief Operations Centre, chaired by the prime minister and Phumtham Wechayachai, the Deputy Prime Minister, the efforts could be significantly expedited.”