The Department of Industrial Works has ordered the closure of the AA Ethanol Ltd plant in Prachin Buri’s Si Maha Phot district for dumping untreated wastewater onto 12,000 rai of land in Kabinburi district.
Prachin Buri governor Chitra Promchutima said she had received the department’s letter, dated Jan 29, ordering the shutdown of the ethanol factory on the grounds of its failure to repair its wastewater treatment system as required.
The letter said the department’s officials had inspected the plant on Jan 26 and found that its treatment system was not in good working order, as required by the Industry Ministry’s notice of 1996.
In addition, the plant failed to provide a clear explanation of how it would deal with the 1,000 cubic metres of waste water released from production line per day.
In order to prevent the any possible severe damage to the environment by the untreated waste, the department ordered the temporary closure of the plant for repairs to its water treatment system. The repairs must be completed by March 29, 2013.
After repairs are complete the management of the ethanol production company must officially report to Prachinburi provincial industry office for permission to reopen the plant, the letter said.
It was reported that a study by the Burana Nives (Ecosystem Rehabilitation) Foundation showed the amount of mercury found in sample catfish from nearby Khlong Chalongwaeng and in hair sample from 20 people in nearby tambon Tha Toom of Si Maha Phot was above the safety limit.
This had prompted officials of the departments of industrial works and of special investigation to recheck the amount of contaminated mercury in the areas’ environment. The two departments confirmed later that the mercury amount was not at critical level as claimed.
However, after it was found that the AA Ethanol Company had illegally dumped its untreated waste water to the 12,000 rai of land plot, the firm was then ordered to shut down.