The formal warnings against the three offenders were issued on Aug 17after the Kamala Tambon Administration Organisation (OrBorTor) received an onslaught of complaints about the canal, which empties into the sea at the northern end of Kamala Beach, turning black and reeking of the foul stench of sewage. (See story here).
The complaints, filed through the Pineapple Eyes community network Line Group, spurred the Kamala OrBorTor and the Kathu District Office to have a backhoe excavate a channel last Friday (Aug 17) so that the fetid water could flow across the sand and empty into the beach water. (See story here).
The beachfront business and the two workers’ camps were given seven days to take whatever steps necessary to cease dumping untreated wastewater into the canal.
Regarding the beachfront business, Kamala OrBorTor Deputy Chief Executive Nopporn Karuna told The Phuket News this morning (Aug 29), “We sent officials to check the beachfront business. I have yet to be informed how the business will solve this problem in the long term, but for now the manager will have a municipal truck empty the restaurant’s septic tanks twice a week.
As for the two workers’ camps, Mr Nopporn explained, “The wastewater tanks at both camps are not sufficient for the number of people living there, which means the tanks overflow and empty into the canal.
“We have ordered the two companies responsible to install more tanks to prevent this from continuing. Kamala OrBorTor officials will check them this Friday (Aug 31). If they fail to stop polluting the canal, they will face the law,” he said.
Mr Nopporn added that officials will continue to search upstream for other sources of pollution fouling the water in the canal.
“So far our checks on the pipes that empty into the canal have shown that 70-80% of the wastewater dumped into the canal is released from a large entertainment business in the Kamala area. The rest of it comes from some hotels and other sources,” he said.
“We need another week to be sure, but after then we will start taking steps to enforce the law on them,” he said.
“In the meantime, wastewater is still being released into the canal. To counter this, we are preparing to add EM balls to the canal as quickly as possible,” Mr Nopporn said.