Sugar spill blamed for river fish deaths

Increase in bacteria levels reduced oxygen

APINYA WIPATAYOTIN

A sunken sugar barge that dumped over 600 tonnes of raw sugar into the Chao Phraya river was to blame for the severe water pollution that killed tens of thousands of taptim fish and other aquatic life in Angthong and Ayutthaya earlier last month, the Pollution Control Department's inquiry concluded yesterday. The department reported that since the amount of sugar dumped into the river was huge, it caused a chain reaction and increased water-borne bacteria in the area many-fold. The bacteria then used up the oxygen in the area to digest the sugar, said department chief Supat Wangwongwatana.

This led to a sharp drop in oxygen levels along a 12km stretch of the river to the point that fish and other aquatic animals could not survive, he said.

If all the sugar had been salvaged, instead of being allowed to dissolve in the water, the scale of pollution would not have been so severe, said the department chief.

The result of the inquiry also put an end to suspicion that the pollution was caused by untreated wastewater discharged from a riverside monosodium glutamate factory run by KTMSG Co.

Mr Supat said the factory would have to discharge over 8,000 cubic metres of liquid fertiliser, which is a waste from monosodium glutamate production process, into the river at one time to create the same level of water pollution.

According to the factory's report, the plant did not release the liquid fertiliser into the river, but sold around 1,000 cubic metres of it to farmers and kept the remainder in its storage pond.

''Moreover, the lab tests on water samples have shown normal potassium and phosphorus levels, the substances that were found in the factory's liquid fertiliser,'' Mr Supat said.

This means the plant's waste did not contaminate the river, he said.

Regarding the villagers and provincial authorities' discovery of three underground pipelines running from the plant to the river, Mr Supat said ''the pipelines were not being used to discharge untreated wastewater into the river''.

The department's investigation result, which was endorsed by the cabinet yesterday, contradicts the findings of the Engineering Institute of Thailand (EIT), which claimed to have found evidence that the KTMSG Co has not been properly treating its wastewater over the past 10 years.

Natural Resources and Environment Minister Kasem Snidvongs yesterday suggested that the affected farmers seek help from the Lawyers Council of Thailand if they want to file a charge against the polluter.

The Pollution Control and the Fisheries departments plan to file civil lawsuits against the boat operator, demanding compensation for environmental damage.

Suthep Gakaew, chairman of Bang Sadet tambon administration organisation, urged the concerned agencies to come up with a clearer explanation about the probe process that led to such a conclusion.

The villagers will wait for the findings of inquiries by other agencies before making their next move.

Bangkok Post

Last Updated : Wednesday April 11, 2007