Accidents involving toxic waste are not unusual in Thailand. With weak law enforcement and irresponsible operators, Thai society has been affected by several accidents and threats caused by toxic waste management or the lack thereof.
A fire at a deserted factory in Rayong province's Ban Khai district is the latest testament that confirms something is utterly wrong with this country's waste management.
Lest we forget, the fire which prompted the local authority to evacuate villagers took place at a closed-down factory owned by Win Process Co. The company had declared bankruptcy in the face of environmental charges raised by local residents. It was found to be violating factory law by running hazardous waste treatment despite having been granted a permit to conduct metal smelting and paper compressing.
The company just closed the door and left, leaving behind a stockpile of waste. There were five buildings in the compound that were used to store wastewater, toxic chemicals, contaminated sediment, old oil, used tyres, acid and industrial waste, including scrap plastic, circuit boards and used syringes. Tens of pools and ponds were filled with used lubricant and chemical liquids.
The company has been ordered by the Ministry of Industry and the Pollution Control Department (PCD) to relocate this waste and dispose of it appropriately. But the company has been dragging its feet and leaving the toxic waste in the factory.
The fire that started on Monday morning and was still raging by Tuesday evening has incinerated toxic chemical and hazardous waste the company should have sent elsewhere for treatment.
This prompted questions about how the responsible ministries are enforcing the law on polluters and dealing with the pollution these irresponsible companies leave behind.
Win Process Co is just one of scores of industrial sites that leave pollution behind after making money and closing down their business.
Despite the local environmental law obliging them to clean up their waste from business activities, a few prefer to save money and leave the problem behind.
The precedent trendsetter is Lead Concentrates (Thailand), a local mining company that runs a lead mine deep in the forest in Kanchanaburi province.
It was found to have been discharging an avalanche of toxic lead sediment in Klity Creek for years, causing lead poisoning among ethnic Karen villagers -- as well as some deaths. The company later closed its doors and declared bankruptcy. The PCD has yet to win its lawsuit to get compensation from the company. Meanwhile, taxpayers continue to fund the cleaning up of Klity Creek.
It is no surprise that taxpayers' money will be used to foot the bill to clean up the waste from Win Process Co. It will take years for the ministry and the PCD to reclaim the money.
After the fire has been subdued and the villagers return home safely, the government must launch an investigation into what caused the blaze.
But this is far from enough. To guard against any recurrence, it must revise the law and set up an environmental clean-up fund. Activists and experts have urged the government to set up this fund and draft a law that forces business operators to chip in the money.
The fire at the toxic waste depot in Rayong reminds us that the idea of an environmental clean-up fund needs to be expedited as soon as possible.