NAKHON SI THAMMARAT: The sea and a 20-kilometre stretch of beach in Hua Sai district of this southern province are still darkened by the tar balls and oil slicks that have blanketed the area for over a month, local residents said.
On Sunday morning, following a storm, a large quantity of tar balls were seen scattered all over the beach, while the sea was still darkened by the oil slicks. The situation has prevailed for over a month without any concrete actions taken by concerned government agencies.
Local fishermen said marine life formerly seen in abundance has disappeared. Many dead fish were seen lying on the beach.
The pollution has gravely affected the eco-system.
A fisherman said he paid about 30,000 baht for a new net to catch squid, but has made almost no return on his investment. He has offered to sell it cheaply to cut his losses.
Aiyub Aziz, a fisherman of Moo 7 village in tambon Na Saton of Hua Sai dstrict, said it is still not clear where the tar balls and oil slicks were from although some officials have come to collect them for testing. Whenever there is a storm, more tar balls are washed ashore.
"We have been left in the dark," he said.