Back in 1992, the government classified 18 areas with severe pollution problems as Pollution Control Areas, in which additional environmental oversights -- such as tougher air and wastewater emission standards -- would be applied.
Since then, local administrations in these areas, which include Pattaya, Phuket, Saraburi's Na Phra Lan district, and Map Ta Phut Industrial Estate in Rayong, are eligible to receive extra budget to operate wastewater treatment plants, acquire incinerators and other pollution-monitoring equipment.
That said, the latest inspections carried out by the Pollution Control Department in conjunction with Chulalongkorn University showed that the areas' changed states did little to end the environmental degradation which has been happening in these areas for over three decades.
The news was unveiled by PCD director-general, Attaphol Charoenshunsa, who said pollution levels in the 18 locations continue to exceed expected standards, which means these areas won't be removed from the list anytime soon.
It is worth mentioning that PCD's inspections were part of a bigger effort to meet the environmental targets set out in the Twenty-year National Masterplan -- which sought to end the areas' classification as Pollution Control Areas by 2021. Last year, that deadline was pushed to the end of this year.
While it remains unclear why the government chose to scrap the target which it had set itself a few years ago, environmental activists and local villagers claim the decision was made to accommodate investors in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), as it will ultimately include the industrial areas in Rayong -- including Map Ta Phut Industrial Estate, which is listed as a pollution control area.
The pollution inspections are not a surprise, as if anything, they come way too late.
Over the past three decades, an increasing number of environmental problems and environmental law violations have been reported in these designated areas. These cases include major oil leaks and toxic air emissions from refineries in Map Ta Phut Industrial Estate. In Saraburi -- a major hub for gypsum manufacturers -- air pollution from rock-blasting activities has barely decreased since the area was designated a pollution control zone over three decades ago.
These failures go far beyond just environmental degradation. More than just a few major waste-related projects, including rubbish and wastewater treatment plants, have been found to be riddled with corruption -- the most high-profile of which is the 24-billion-baht Klong Dan Wastewater Treatment plant in Samut Prakan.
The outcome of the inspections show that government needs to review the law on pollution control areas and its enforcement on the ground.
One solution is amending the 1992 Environmental Protect Act to give the PCD more authority to punish polluters and engage with local administration to carry out environmental projects. At present, the PCD functions only as a monitor and regulator, with no authority to impose penalties on polluters.
However, the issue that needs to be urgently addressed is the way environmental protection goals are set out in the 20-year National Masterplan. Instead of setting opaque and self-defeating goals, policy makers should do the opposite and tighten pollution standards in control areas to make them more respected.