PRACHUAP KHIRI KHAN -- Hua Hin city officials are struggling with a waste management crisis after residents living near a dump said they wanted the garbage dumped elsewhere.
Dozens of locals used tyres to block an entrance to a 600-rai landfill in tambon Tab Tai and prevent garbage trucks from unloading their refuse around 2pm Tuesday.
Protesters said they had put up with the stench from a gigantic mountain of trash, as well as other problems, since the dump opened 22 years ago. Each year the waste mountain grows taller and putrid liquid seeps into natural water sources, contaminating their crops, they complained.
Resident Chid Srisook, 50, said the toxic runoff worsened during rainy periods, rendering her crops inedible. Neighbour Supachai Bussara, 57, agreed that liquid waste seeped into his fish pond, killing many of them.
A dump in tambon Tab Tai where nearby residents say they can no longer put up with foul odours and liquid waste leaks. (Photo by Chaiwat Satyaem)
The residents dispersed after four hours of talks with Hua Hin municipal officials, who agreed to stop dumping new trash at the site and allow the Tambon Tab Tai Administrative Organisation and its residents to take part in planning the elimination of existing garbage at the facility.
Chumpon Taklom, president of the Tab Tai TAO, said sub-district council had resolved three months ago that the landfill should be closed. He said an investigation found people truly were suffering from the site's pollution and could endure no more.
Mr Chumpon said the TAO had dumped about six tonnes of waste produced by local people at a site behind Thanarat Infantry Camp in Pran Buri district.
Pailin Kongpan, deputy mayor for Hua Hin municipality, said the city would dump 150 tonnes of its daily waste at the Thanarat site. Rubbish collectors normally started working between 9pm and 10pm and spent the entire night disposing of trash.
However, the fact the new dump was open only during office hours and was located farther from the city likely would cause garbage-collection problems. Binmen may not be able to clear all the garbage every day, she noted.