BMA vows to clean up canal in two years

BMA vows to clean up canal in two years

Amorn: Warning waterway polluters
Amorn: Warning waterway polluters

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has set an ambitious goal to turn the polluted Khlong Saen Saep into a clean canal within two years.

The BMA is taking multi-pronged measures to improve the quality of water and beautify the landscape along the canal, according to deputy Bangkok governor Amorn Kitchawengkul.

He spoke after a meeting with representatives from state agencies responsible for pollution control, the BMA's Department of Drainage and Sewerage, and factories located on the banks of the canal.

Mr Amorn said the meeting discussed measures, including better regulation of water discharged into the canal, which is blamed for causing the pollution.

The improvement in water quality is part of City Hall's goal to reverse the canal's reputation as a squalid waterway by 2018, which would make Khlong Saen Saep more attractive and viable as a transport route, an outlet for flood prevention, and a tourist attraction. Currently, there are a total of 631 sources of wastewater in 21 districts and many of them share the blame for polluting the canal, Pollution Control Department chief Wijarn Simachaya said.

Among the major polluters are hotels, condominiums, apartments and hospitals.

At present, about 1,300 factories are located close to Khlong Saen Saep. Of these, about 30 release untreated water into the canal, Industrial Works Department chief Pasu Loharnjun said. By law, the Biochemical Oxygen Demand, or BOD, in the discharged water must not exceed 20 miligrammes of oxygen a litre, he said.

Industrial officials will strictly examine water discharged by the factories and other canal-side businesses, Mr Pasu said.

Factories whose wastewater fails to meet the BOD standard will be asked to improve their treatment facilities. If they repeatedly fail to improve water quality, the Industrial Works Department will suspend their operations, he said.

Serious action by stakeholders is crucial in cleaning up Khong Saen Saep and the city wants the canal to be a model for restoring water quality, Mr Amorn said.

Better water quality is expected to help boost city tourism, he added.

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