Waste water flowing freely onto Krabi’s beaches

Krabi Vice Governor, Pol Capt Apinan Puakpong, with a team of military officers, Krabi Office of Natural Resources and Environment and Krabi Provincial Public Health Office, inspected hotels, resorts and restaurants along Tub Kaeg Beach and found that there are five 5-star hotels as well as one restaurant that have their waste water pipe releasing directly into the sea.

The inspection followed a complaint from people that they got itchy after swimming at the beach. The water from around the foreshore area also smells bad, affecting the tourism image of the province.

The team collected samples of the wastewater from all the places to be sent to the Natural Resources and Environment Office Region 15 and ordered all venues to remove the wastewater pipes that encroach the beach area. They also ordered the businesses to treat the water before releasing it.

“After checking, we found that they all release wastewater into the sea, which possibly is the cause why swimmers feel itchy when getting into the sea. The concerned department is checking the pipes that are built on the beach, which have to be removed,” said the Vice Governor.

“We will also check other beach areas at the main tourism attractions in Krabi, including Phi Phi Island, Ao Nang, Lanta Island and Nong Talay. The business operators that do not follow the orders will be prosecuted.”