Monday, January 07, 2008

Boulder from quarry smashes into temple

ENVIRONMENT / ROCK QUARRYING OPERATIONS

Boulder from quarry smashes into temple

PIYARACH CHONGCHAROEN

Kanchanaburi _ A temple in Tha Muang district has filed a police complaint against a rock quarry operator over a recent blast that sent a giant rock tumbling down the mountain slope and smashing into the temple. Prayut Chuenkam, 58, director of Wat Kao Kanhok, reported the incident to police on Friday.

He said a rock about one metre in diameter smashed through the concrete wall and came to rest in the middle of the main hall.

Investigators from tambon Samrong police station were called in and they checked and photographed the scene.

Deputy abbot Luang Phor Poj Chantagamo blamed the Silasomboonsap quarry, or Sila Siam, for the incident, which was blowing up rocks on the mountain just before the mishap.

The quarry, located in tambon Pang Tru, is run by Denpong Dabtham, chairman of the tambon administration organisation.

The monk said this was not the first time the quarry had rained rocks on nearby communities.

Earlier, villagers in tambon Pang Tru called on provincial governor Amnart Pakarat to look into environmental problems rock quarrying operations were causing in the area, including the destruction of wildlife habitats. Recently, about 3,000 monkeys were made homeless by such operations, they said.

In November, the governor told the provincial natural resources and environmental chief Peerawat Mekin to set up a tripartite committee, comprising quarry representatives, government officials and affected villagers to redress the impact of rock quarrying operations.

The monk said villagers have already named their representatives, but to date the committee had yet to be formed.

No comments: