Minister Chalermchai Sri-On took to the skies via helicopter around 10am yesterday and was afforded aerial views of several sites as part of an inspection project that lasted several hours.
The first site to be inspected was the area around Big Buddha Hill, where a tragic landslide on Aug 23 left 13 people dead.
Minister Chalermchai then visited an area in Kamala that experienced large torrents of water cascading down from the nearby hills causing flooding and mudslides after heavy rains on June 30.
He proceeded to visit several other potentially vulnerbale areas as part of his trip, estimating the number of dangerous locations around the island to be between 8-10, without specifying exactly where, however.
Minister Chalermchai was joined on the inspection drive by: Chatuporn Buruspat, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment; Surachai Ajalaboon, Director-General of the Royal Forest Department; and Pichit Sombatmak, Director-General of the Department of Mineral Resources.
As part of his visit, the Minister was scheduled to carry out inspections of coastal mangroves in Phuket and Phang Nga provinces this morning, while further issues on the agenda include beach erosion and illegal land grabbing.
Minister Chalermchai confirmed that on returning to Bangkok he will be discussing his findings with Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra and trying to establish the implementation of a suitable system to warn local residents of possible future landslides.