Rubbish dump upsets locals

Rubbish dump upsets locals

Prachuap Khiri Khan Municipality Council has raised its objections to a decision made by its predecessors to carry out rubbish disposal at a landfill in a forest reserve in the province.

Kularb Faengkaew, president of the council, said the council has sent a petition to Prachuap Khiri Khan governor to put the brakes on waste disposal in the reserve.

The landfill is located on 1,073 rai of the reserve and the Land Department has also been requested to cancel permits granted for operating the landfill site.

Ms Kularb said that in 2009, the municipal council at the time approved the allocation of over 100 million baht to build the landfill in the forest area, much to the resistance of local residents and community leaders.

The project has since moved ahead and the rubbish dump is in operation.

Daeng Kaewchingduang, former president of Pak Klong Bang Nang Rom community, said nearby residents are troubled by the foul smell of the rubbish which also threatens to damage the surrounding ecosystem.

Shrimp farmers in the area have planned to stage a protest by blocking rubbish trucks from entering the landfill.

Nitas Chanthong, chief of Prachuap Khiri Khan's natural resource and environment office, said the landfill has been only been dug to be 1.5 metres deep and will need to be soon closed and a new landfill site found.

While the contested landfill was being built, about 1.5 million baht a month was allegedly spent hiring a private company to take 45 tonnes of daily waste for disposal to an alternative landfill in neighbouring Phetchaburi province.

The National Anti-Corruption Commission has been petitioned to look into the spending.

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