AIR POLLUTION
LAMPANG : Authorities expect to complete the planned relocation of about 1,000 villagers from their neighbourhoods polluted by the coal-fired power plant in Mae Mo district by the end of this month, said Mae Mo district chief Sermsak Sisan yesterday. The mass relocation is viewed as confirmation of the severe impact on human health caused by sulphur dioxide emissions from the plant 16 years ago.
The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat), which owns the power plant, has spent a large amount of money on public relations work to protect its image as well as to solve the problems caused by the Mae Mo plant.
The new site to accommodate the evacuees is at Ban Huay Rak Mai in tambon Sobpad, covering 1,000 rai of land. Egat has allocated at least 500 million baht for the evacuation.
Many residents of 16 villages have suffered respiratory problems as a result of being exposed to toxic emissions from the plant since 1992.
Egat had tried to solve the problem by installing devices to trap sulphur dioxide emissions. However, the move proved too late to do much good.
Some villagers also claimed some of the devices had broken down, allowing emissions to affect people and cattle in the vicinity.
As the number of human deaths blamed on the air pollution in the area mounted, residents demanded that Egat find new land for them to live on.
Egat eventually set aside a huge budget to fund the resettlement of affected villagers.
''They will have new homes, new zoning plans and their [new] village will be registered with the Interior Ministry,'' said Mr Sermsak, the district chief.
Currently, there are many villagers in Mae Mo who have fallen ill and must depend on respirators.
At least 20 local villagers have died in the past 10 years and their deaths were blamed on emissions from the power plant. Since early this year eight people have died of respiratory failure, believed to have been caused by exposure to sulphur dioxide.
One of them was Sribut Wongchana who died last month. His son received 100,000 baht in compensation from the community development fund, which received contributions from the Mae Mo power plant.
The power plant has earmarked up to 300 million baht for the fund to help villagers living in the vicinity of the plant.
However, Sribut's widow remained upset. ''It's like we are waiting for death,'' said Mrs Nuanjan, who has also developed respiratory problems.
She said several villagers have to see doctors at the district hospital and Egat hospital every week for treatment of their respiratory problems.
She is one of the villagers who lodged petitions with the Administrative Court against Egat.
The villagers are demanding 1.08 billion baht in compensation and the closure of the power plant. The court is considering the case.
Egat was earlier ordered by the Lampang provincial court to pay seven million baht in compensation to more than 200 Mae Mo villagers in 2004 for damage to their crops and cattle.
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