The aerial image was first shared by the ‘Monsoon Garbage Thailand’ Facebook page on Sunday, with more photos taken from on the ground posted with the message, “What people want to know is how to manage it…”
Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew assigned Chalong Mayor Thanaporn and Muang District Chief Phairot Srilamul to inspect the area, located in the neighbourhood opposite Wat Ladthi Wanaram (Wat Tai) on Chao Fa East Rd, and to confirm the photos posted, said an official report of the inspection yesterday.
On seeing the site, Mayor Thanaporn immediately had ‘No Dumping’ signs posted to prevent the problem from becoming worse.
Although the land appeared to be privately owned, Chalong Municipality had the authority to prohibit the dumping of garbage in the area because it was considered an offense by causing a public nuisance, which is punishable by law, said the official report.
“As for the garbage that is still in the area, we must discuss with the area owner to manage it so that the existing garbage does not affect and cause distress to the people in the area,” District Chief Pairot said.
Chalong Mayor Thanaporn noted, “As for Chalong Municipality, we have contacted the person in charge of the area who has provided information that they will contact the owner of the area as soon as possible.
“The real area owners will be invited to join in planning to find solutions together with Chalong Municipality. This is because the news in question has an impact on the tourism image of Phuket Province,” she added.
“This must be discussed clearly because in the case where the problem is solved by garbage disposal, there will be operating expenses or bringing soil to fill in the garbage landfill also has expenses, which must be discussed,” Mayor Thanaporn said.
“We will talk with both sides, both the government and the area owners. However, the basic solution must be to prohibit additional trash from being dumped,” Mayor Thanaporn maintained clearly.
“Chalong Municipality has posted notices. If anyone violates this [ban on dumping], they will be prosecuted according to the law,” she warned.
Pracha Srimuang, of the Baan Khoktanode Community Committee, pointed out that much of the trash dumped at the site was scrapped construction materials used as landfill to elevate the land.
“We can confirm that it does not emit a smell that disturbs the people in the area. and does not cause polluted water,” he said.
“In the past, there was a pond that was part of a pig pen, which caused wastewater and excrement from the pig pen to flow down into the area and onto into the sea, which originally caused great distress to the people because the area was originally a low-sloping area.
“But now that the area is higher, and the pig pens have been moved out of the area,” Mr Pracha explained.
Kokchai Sae-Ung, village headman of Moo 9, Chalong, said the land was privately owned and that permission had been granted last year to use scrapped construction materials as landfill to elevate the site.
“Later, villagers came here to separate old plastic bottles and sell them,” he said.
However a fire at the site in April this year had caused much concern. Local firefighters arrived to douse the fire, and no more materials were allowed to be dumped at the site since then, he added.
Mr Kokchai also denied that the photos posted online were not current. “The pictures seen today that are released by the mass media all over the country and in Phuket are old pictures. The mass media has come to see the condition of the area with their own eyes. This area does not have cars or rental houses coming in to fill the road,” he said.
“The municipality had already posted a sign banning any more landfill at the site, and assistant village headman, community leaders and municipality officers also drive in once or twice a week to check and make sure no garbage is disposed here so as not to cause distress to the local residents,” he added.
“I’m annoyed. As the media can see right now, there is grass and trees growing green here, but what looks like floating garbage might actually be rubble and cement. If you take a picture from above, it might look like plastic garbage, but it’s actually not,” Mr Kokchai said.
“There’s been no smell here since April 2023. There will be no additional dumping and disposal of garbage. After ordering the closure of this pond, there has been no smell, no spoilage, no pollution, no smoke, no fires. It all stopped in April 2023,” he concluded.