ENVIRONMENT / ROYAL FLORA RATCHAPHRUEK SHUTDOWN

Wary watch for illegal dumping of expo waste

Community leaders in provinces neighbouring Chiang Mai are keeping a wary watch for any reckless attempts to dump rubbish from the Royal Flora Ratchaphruek exposition in their forests. In Phayao province, tambon councils in Mae Na Rua and Mae Ka Reng have set up volunteer groups to guard forest areas near their communities around the clock, as the clean-up begins in the wake of the expo's closure on Wednesday.

They also threaten legal action against anybody caught sneaking in to dump waste.

Jaroon Sankwan, chairman of Mae Na Rua in Muang district, said garbage had been dumped in the forest adjacent to his community in the past, posing an environmental threat to Kwan Phayao, one of the country's most important wetlands. The forest drains into Kwan Phayao.

Mr Jaroon said his council was concerned that with the expo having closed on Wednesday, garbage disposal crews might seek a place to quickly and conveniently dump the rubbish outside Chiang Mai.

The 470-rai expo site must have built up a massive volume of waste during the three months it was running, he said.

In Uttaradit, Yiam Kaewson, chairman of Chaijumpol tambon administration council in Laplae district, said he had heard the expo's managers planned to dump a large amount of garbage outside Chiang Mai. The areas targeted for the expo's garbage were likely to be other northern provinces below Chiang Mai, he said.

He had asked community leaders and local residents to help guard forests and vacant public areas against these vandals.

Bangkok Post
Friday February 02, 2007