Nature tours reopen on #Phuket canal after clean-up

Water quality in the Mudong Canal in Wichit is starting to return to normal while tourists are back on sailing tours along the canal.

Residents along the Phuket waterway have been calling for officials to clean up the filthy canal after wastewater was found flowing into the canal and out to the sea. 

Dead animals were also found floating in the canal.

 The Phuket authorities reported that on Wednesday the dissolved oxygen (DO) index was very low at 0.03-0.5 milligrams per litre.

Yesterday (Thursday), officials from the Environment Office Region 15 Phuket inspected the canal again. They reported that water quality had improved.

“The water is clearer than before and the bad smell is not there anymore. No dead shrimp, crabs and fish have been found floating,” the office said. 

DO was measured along the canal.

Source - TheNation

Ps. Strange to hear it is safe after one day.

Thailand - Wastewater poisoning #Phuket canal

Residents near Mudong canal in Wichit, Phuket, are calling for officials to stop wastewater flowing into the canal and out to sea. Dead animals have been found floating on the canal.

Yesterday (August 22) officials from the Environment Office Region 15 Phuket and others inspected the Mudong canal.

Residents said the water is black and has a bad smell all along the canal. Dead shrimps, crabs and fish have been found floating on it.

The environment office’s Kanchit Sunthornkarn said: “At this stage we have found that wastewater is coming from sewage produced by the community. There are housing estates, restaurants and houses. 

“We have to control the wastewater problem from the original sources. The law must be enforced by officers. We still don’t have the technology to solve wastewater in the canal once it has made its way into the canal system. If we add more microorganisms, it will be worse.

 “For a short-term solution, we have to use natural treatment because the black water in the canal is caused by the drains. For a longer-term solution, we have to find the original sources. Wastewater has to be treated before being released into the canal.”

Source - TheNation