Phuket Governor starts to tame stench of Bang Yai Canal
PHUKET: The stench of Bang Yai Canal that has been wreaking havoc in areas of Phuket Town, making some residents physical ill (story here), was partially tamed today as Phuket’s Governor launched his four-step Bang Yai Canal wastewater project.
Local officials, residents and organizations joined Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut in Rassada at the Soi Paneang water pump station to inaugurate the project (story here).
The four-step plan implemented today involved putting Effective Microorganism (EM) balls and EM water into the ditches; reducing the amount of wastewater; widening drainage ditches to improve water flow and making residents aware of the problem.
“The Paneang pond holds the wastewater from more than 6,000 residences, factories, apartments, hotels and small business,” Rassada Mayor Phudit Raksarat said.
“Only some of these buildings have wastewater treatment tanks, so approximately 1,500 cubic meters of wastewater is dumped into the pond daily,” he said.
Paneang Canal, currently running into the pond, was once directly connected to Bang Yai Canal, but has since become cut off as Sam Kong 1 residents developed the area.
Wastewater issues plague both water sources, as the untreated water is pumped from the pond into the Bang Yai Canal.
Governor Maitri urged Rassada Municipality to continue the pollution abatement project.
“The municipality should be in charge of purifying polluted water before dumping it,” he said.
— Kritsada Mueanhawong
