The Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand (IEAT) is working with state agencies to develop the Smart EIA Management System, or SEMs, in a bid to improve the process to make mandatory Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) among factories and reduce their conflicts with nearby villagers over the adverse impact of industrial projects.
SEMs will gather information about projects, investment scale and possible environmental impact and help factory operators to manage and assess the data.
"SEMs is a digital platform that aims to facilitate the EIA-making process and reduce its unnecessary steps," said IEAT governor Somchint Pilouk.
She signed a memorandum of understanding on SEMs development yesterday with the Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning, the Department of Energy Business, the Energy Regulatory Commission and national oil and gas conglomerate PTT Plc.
IEAT aims to first use SEMs in Map Ta Phut industrial estate, Map Ta Phut deep-sea port and gas separation plants in Rayong, making the digital platform a prototype of emission quota and inventory database management.
Map Ta Phut Industrial Estate was established in 1990 as one of the country's largest industrial areas for the petrochemical industry and related sectors.
It is also a key flagship industrial estate under the Eastern Seaboard Development Programme, a massive infrastructure development plan aimed at creating an industrial base to modernise Thailand.
Map Ta Phut Industrial Estate has grown quickly, with the establishment of petrochemical plants, oil refineries, coal-fired power plants as well as iron and steel facilities.
However, villagers living near the area expressed concern over the impact of factory activities on their health and environment. They include air pollution, soil contamination, oil spills, water pollution and depletion, and noise pollution.
With SEMs, IEAT expects it will build more confidence of environmental management among communities, which will lead to less complaints and conflicts in the Map Ta Phut area.