Feeding the fish in Khlong Prawet Burirom had always been a family routine after making merit at Lan Boon Temple at the weekends. Thanakorn Sitthikul is now considering a new place to take his wife and two children to relax as the water is too disgusting.
Once an attraction for tourists and a ‘swimming pool’ for children, Khlong Prawet Burirom turned grey and then black. (Photos by Somchai Poomlard)
Mr Thanakorn, 39, said Lan Boon Temple, which provides a calm and soothing environment, is a stone’s throw from their house. But he takes his family there less often now because of the pollution in Khlong Prawet Burirom, which runs past it.
“We can smell the stench when we are near the canal. Fewer fish are eating the bread the family feeds them,” he said. A common scene at the temple is dead fish floating on the water's surface.
Once a serene attraction for visitors and a “swimming pool” for children, Khlong Prawet Burirom today is a place people avoid.
What has happened to the canal is tragic, Lan Boon Temple abbot, Phra Khru Soonthon Boonkhet, said.
Pollution is clearly to blame for the fish deaths. People on the banks and in boats drag fish in from everywhere, he said, urging authorities to step in to tackle the problems that not only affect people's emotional health but also the lives of aquatic animals.
He said fresh water needs to be pumped in around the clock to wash away the pollution and save the aquatic life.
Suchin Kummanee, head of the Sangkharacha community in Lat Krabang district which borders Khlong Prawet Burirom, said 20,000 residents in 20 communities along the canal are affected by the polluted water and the stench.
Residents suspect a leak from a factory and a housing community’s sewage discharge in Min Buri district are responsible for the worsening water quality and for killing fish in a natural fresh water pool in front of the temple, Mr Suchin said.
Last week, residents invited the Bangkok Post to take a look at the water along stretches of the canal that passes through Min Buri and Lat Krabang districts.
The water in Min Buri district was found to be clear with no smell.
But the water between Bung Ta Nuay and Sangkharacha community, spanning about 10km, was black, stagnant and had an unpleasant smell.
Connected to Khlong Prawet Burirom, is the smaller Bung Ta Nuay which is covered with a thick layer of water hyacinth that prevents the use of boats.
Lat Krabang district director Sin Nititadakul said the environment and sanitary department checked the level of oxygen in the canal on Oct 24 and found it at 0.17mg per litre. Experts suggest that dissolved oxygen levels below 5.0mg/l put aquatic life in danger.
To improve the water quality, polluted water is now being siphoned out and fresh water pumped in. This resulted in the amount of dissolved oxygen increasing to 0.67mg/l following another inspection on Oct 28.
Prasert Chaweein, acting director of Min Buri district office, said nearby factories, residential units and shops mostly contributed to the problem.
However, he said discharge from factories is now being controlled, while a nearby residential project is required to build a water treatment plant for sewage from houses. Business operators will face heavy punishments if they fail to follow the rules, he said.
The Min Buri district director said he is more concerned about farms and individual households that release waste water into the canal. However, it’s the authorities’ job to educate residents.
The water in front of Lan Boon Temple is the worst, said Napin Boontuam, leader of the Somnuk Community. The community is home to more than 400 residents, but seems to be the least affected by the pollution.
Still, the community is indirectly hit by the smell and dark water. They not only deter tourists, but also prevent children swimming and families fishing for food as they did only two years ago.
The decreasing number of tourists has seen revenue drop for vendors and the temple which is a popular spot in Lad Krabang district, Mr Napin said. On normal weekends, about 100,000 baht was generated from the sale of fish as food and various products.
The condition of the water worsened this year, turning from grey to black, Mr Napin said.
The canal was an integral part of the community, Mr Suchin noted. It was a principal transport artery for many people and utilised for domestic use.
He recalled his parents telling him that His Majesty the King used to travel on a barge along Khlong Prawet Burirom to visit friends living in the area. Residents would give the King a rapturous welcome along both sides of the canal when he passed by.
Part of the problem is that residential projects and factories were allowed to be built near canals which then subject to household sewage and industrial waste.
Mr Suchin dismissed claims that residents along the banks were throwing waste from their homes into the canal, saying communities had launched a campaign to improve water quality and would not use the waterway as a dump.
“But neighbours in new housing estates tend to keep their distance so we don’t want to bother them,” he said.
Assoc Prof Pongporn Sudbhanthad, a former lecturer at Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Architecture for Urban Planning, said the popularity of waterways had faded with the development of land infrastructure and housing projects.
Canals were filled in to pave the way for cars. Many of the remaining ones are under threat from pollution as waste water is drained into them from houses and factories rather than through treatment plants.
A decline in inland waterway transport has been further aggravated by canal encroachment by residents, he added.
Assoc Prof Pongporn heads the Urban Community Group. It is trying to breathe new life into canals and is campaigning to raise awareness about their importance and the consequences of encroachment on residents in Lat Prao, Ratchadaphisek and Bang Sue areas.
The group is working with authorities on an integrated public transit system between Saphan Mai and Phra Khanong via Khlong Lat Phrao and Khlong Saen Saep.
Water hyacinths and other plants grow thick and strong along adjoining canals, and fish die in the pollution.