ANN/THE NATION THAILAND – Tourists in Phuket were shocked to find black, foul-smelling wastewater flowing into the sea at the northern end of Karon Beach on Sunday.
The speculation was that the black water was flowing down from a wastewater treatment facility near Nong Harn Lake.
Officials arrived to inspect the facility yesterday. Among them were Karon’s deputy mayor Wanlop Nadon, Karon Municipality Public Works chief Sanan Rakdam and chief of Karon Municipality’s Wastewater Treatment Works Chatporn Charoenvej.
The official report released after their visit said the black water was actually sediment washed down by rain from local public waterways.
“The sludge has been washed down because the canals have not been dredged for more than 10 years. This made the sea turn black, making people think it was wastewater,” Chatporn said.
The Karon municipality originally planned to dredge the canal twice a year, but this was not possible because the contractor had abandoned the job, he said.
The contractor had bid at a very low price and later discovered he could not make ends meet.
The municipality authorities, meanwhile, have promised to dredge the waterways as soon as possible.
They also called a meeting with more than 200 local business owners to remind them to strictly ensure their wastewater treatment systems are fully functional.
Many operators rushed to reopen their businesses as soon as COVID-19 measures were eased, causing many systems to not operate at 100 per cent, the officials said.
An official team has also been set up to check the area and closely monitor the situation.
Businesses caught releasing untreated wastewater will be ordered to suspend operations until improvements are made.
The team will also work on raising awareness among local residents. “Karon is one of the most popular tourist areas in Phuket, attracting nature lovers. Even if events like this are caused by nature, we realise that it has had a huge impact on the area’s image,” Sanan said.
“Immediate action will be taken if it is detected that wastewater is being released into public waterways. Many restaurants near the Karon Municipality Office have been ordered to close until they have completed renovation and passed inspection.
“Karon Municipality will expedite short-term solutions before making long-term plans with relevant authorities to build confidence among locals and tourists,” Sanan promised.
