Krichanut Suphantakij, Chief Administrative Officer (Palad) at the Cherng Talay Tambon Administration Organisation (OrBorTor), told The Phuket News yesterday (May 8) that the long-awaited wastewater treatment “system” was completed two months ago.
“The project was completed after (former) Phuket Governor Chockchai Dejamornthan ordered workers to hurry to get it done,” Mr Krichanut said.
“Our wastewater-treatment facilities for Bang Tao and Surin beaches now receive about 5,000 cubic meters of wastewater (a day) from different areas at each beach,” he said.
“That’s why there has been less black water on Surin Beach over the past two months,” he added.
Mr Krichanut blankly disbelieved that the wastewater had returned to Surin, and offered a disturbing understanding of what wastewater was.
“I don’t think black wastewater has appeared on Surin Beach again. I believe it is just from some hotels releasing waste into the public drains,” he said.
However, he added, “I will order my colleagues to check, today.”
The black pool of water flowing from waste pipes last spilled onto Surin Beach in January, with local residents and business owner angry over a lack of response by Cherng Talay OrBorTor to fix the problems – which has plagued the beach for years.
This has been happening for years and the problem just gets keeps getting worse,” said one of many local residents on the beach.
“We’re fed up with it, and we’re considering fixing the problem ourselves,” the woman, who asked not to be named, told The Phuket News. (See story here.)
That incident followed another wastewater surge onto the sand last November, to which Cherng Talay OrBorTor Chief MaAnn Samran said he would dispatch a backhoe to fix the problem.
However, Mr MaAnn did explain that the B320-million project initiated in 2012 to expand the sewage system in the area and install a wastewater-treatment plant had yet to come onstream.
“The project is about 80% complete, we are now only waiting for the Phuket Governor to sign approval for Phase II of the project,” he said at the time.
As promised in January last year, Mr MaAnn confirmed that Cherng Talay OrBorTor trucks were pumping wastewater from Surin and Bang Tao beaches every day at 10am, 1pm and 2pm.
“This is only a temporary measure. The wastewater will go through filtration treatment and will be stored at a treatment plant until we’re ready to treat it fully and release it elsewhere,” he said. (See story here.)