The Transport Ministry will ask the cabinet this month to approve a multi-billion baht plan to clean up the heavily polluted Khlong Saen Saep, according to a ministry source.
The clean-up project will serve as a model to deal with other polluted waterways, the source said. The National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) ordered the ministry to urgently draft an action plan to deal with the pollution, the source said.
The six-year plan requires 6.98 billion baht and aims to ensure the water quality of Khlong Saen Saep meets the standards set by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.
The NCPO wants to make sure the canal is not only clean, but also safe for travel.
It hopes to make it one of Bangkok's beautiful tourist attractions by the end of 2017.
The clean-up plan targets the canal in the Bangkok suburban districts of Min Buri and Nong Chok.
The Dissolved Oxygen (DO) level, which is used to assess water quality, needs to nearly double to at least four milligrammes per litre by 2017, up from the current level of 2.62 mg/l, said the source.
Meanwhile, the Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) -- dissolved oxygen used by water organisms to break down organic material -- must not exceed 2 mg/l, the source said, adding the current BOD level is 7.85 mg/l.
As for the canal section from Pratunam to Min Buri, the DO level must be at least 2 mg/l and the BOD level must not exceed 4 mg/l, the source said. The current BOD level in this section is 9.17 mg/l.
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) is responsible for the project, while the Marine Department will deal with jetties along the canal and the Royal Irrigation Department will look after the canal section outside Bangkok.
Responsibility for water quality is assigned to the Department of Industrial Works and the Pollution Control Department.
The Industrial Estate Authority will examine water quality in the section linked to the Bangchan Industrial Estate in Min Buri.
Agencies will have to use biological and chemical treatment to increase oxygen in the water, convince households and industries to stop releasing wastewater and throwing rubbish into the canal, and conduct public education campaigns.
The BMA will use funds from the government and its own coffers, while other agencies will take money from the central budget.
The BMA is in charge of improving water quality at a cost of 3.84 billion baht, creating public understanding for canal conservation (50 million baht) and upgrading the canal jetties (14.5 million baht).
The majority of the budget will be used in the first phase from this year to 2017, and the rest from 2018 to 2020. Other City Hall projects include building a steel-reinforced concrete embankment on the canal and constructing waste water treatment facilities.
"The Transport Ministry will measure noise levels from boat service in the canal, and ensure safety on boats, such as installing CCTV cameras on them," said the source.