Committee chairman Apichart Sirisunthon, who also serves as the secretary-general of Move Forward Party, arrived with his delegation and joined a meeting at Phuket Provincial Hall presided over by Phuket Governor Suwan Suwannarat.
The visit and study tour were were prompted by complaints received by the committee, said an official report of the meeting.
Present for the meeting were a slew of leading Phuket officials, and members of the public to provide feedback and suggestions.
The meeting included a briefing on land rights in Thalang District and wastewater problems in Mueang Phuket District and Kathu District, said the official report.
However, Phuket MP Chalermpong Sangdee, also of the Move Forward Party, later noted in a post online that the key areas of concern for wastewater were Kamala, Karon and Patong.
“Every year during the tourist season there is more wastewater than normal, and [it] flows into the sea,” MP Chlaermpong wrote.
According to the official report, the committee aims to follow up on solving issues related to people living and using the Bang Khanun National Protected Forest area.
The committee is also reviewing progress of the investigation into the land ownership at Cape Yamu, where Swiss expat Urs Fehr allegedly kicked a woman doctor, sparking a protest and a slew of investigations into encroachment on public land, namely targetting so-called ‘private beaches’. The incident also spurred the currently ongoing crackdown on all foreigners for any breaches of the law,.
Regarding the issue of wastewater, Mr Apichart yesterday received a presentation by the Phuket Provincial Natural Resources and Environment Office and the Environment and Pollution Control Office 15, based in Phuket, said the official report.
However, details of the presentation were not published.
The visit by Mr Apichart follows black wastewater flowing across beaches and into the sea where tourists swim at Patong, Karon (see here and here), Kamala and Bang Tao.
During an inspection tour of Phuket last year, Dr Surasee Kittimonthon, Secretary-General of the Office of National Water Resources (ONWR), revealed.that Phuket is already unable to treat nearly 55,000 cubic metres of wastewater each day, leaving the wastewater to be disposed of untreated.