The overflow from the canal often gets released onto the beach leaving a pool of the dirty water for all to see.
The three-times-daily pumping sessions, which commenced last week, are part of stopgap measures to address unrelenting complaints from local residents and business operators, while the stalled wastewater treatment facilities are not due to be fully operational until the end of this year.
Speaking to The Phuket News, Cherng Talay OrBorTor Chief Ma-Ann Samran confirmed that the B320 million wastewater project – which will serve the communities surrounding Surin and Bang Tao beaches – is about 80 per cent complete.
Construction on the 5,000 cubic-metre-per-day facilities at Surin and Bang Tao beaches, started in August 2012 and were initially due for completion by August 2015.
However, the project stalled as its initial pipe grid layout plan did not take into account new developments that were confirmed after the initial plan was drafted, he explained.
Meanwhile, Mr MaAnn has assured that pumps will continue to transfer untreated wastewater at Surin via trucks to a semi-operational processing facility near Bang Tao Beach.
“The pumping times are scheduled daily for 10am, 1pm and 2pm. This is only a temporary measure, and we will use cutters and other equipment to break down the wastewater and store it until we’re ready to treat it and release it elsewhere,” he said.
The Department of Environmental Quality Promotion (DEQP) is expected to approve a revised pipe grid layout plan within this month.
“The original layout had to be updated due to many new residential construction projects in the area, which weren’t part of the original plan,” he said.
MaAnn added that the pumping will require a lot of water, however.
“We need more cooperation from local businesses to help conserve water, together. Now, we have only three businesses supporting us. Nobody wants to see the [untreated] wastewater released into the ocean, neither do I.”
Meanwhile, Kitchanat Suphatthakit, Deputy Administration Clerk of Cherng Talay OrBorTor, who is overseeing the Cherng Talay water treatment project, specified on the progress being made.
“The mixed water purification systems are almost complete with most of the cutter [pumps], water pipes, treatment system engines and other pumps, main and sub-tanks operational.”
However, he clarified that everything still needs to be connected and tested, which is pending approval of the revised pipe grid plan from the DEQP .
“Once finished, the water treatment project will have a daily treatment capacity of 5,000M3 and will cover all areas in Moo 2, 3, 5 and some parts of Moo 1 in Cherng Talay, which include Bang Tao and Surin beaches,” he confirmed.
The system will include two underground cutters or shredders – in Bang Tao beach area, as well as at the entrance of Surin beach, he said
Mr Kitchanat was adimate that the project would not require any more or less than the original budget of B320mn.