Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai has proposed the idea of constructing a dam across the Kok River, to block toxic contaminants, such as heavy metals discharged from unregulated Chinese-run mining operations in Shan state of Myanmar, from flowing downstream into Thai territory.
The Water Resources Department has been assigned by Phumtham to design a dam, equipped with the facility to filter contaminants from the water and sediments.
Other measures are being adopted by the government to address the problem of arsenic and other heavy metals detected in the Kok and Sai rivers, which are threatening the livelihoods of people living along the rivers in Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai provinces.
Other options include dredging of a 3km stretch of the Kok River in Muang district of Chiang Rai, to dispose of the contaminated sediments, and holding talks with Myanmar’s government, via the Regional Border Committee (RBC), scheduled to take place in Kengdung of Shan state from June 17th to the 20th, to address the problem of the unregulated mining operations in Shan state.
The frequency of the testing of water and sediment samples from the Kok, Sai and Khong rivers, by the Pollution Control Department, have already been increased.
A subcommittee, led by Deputy Prime Minister Prasert Chantararuangthong, has been appointed by the Cabinet to oversee the relevant agencies tasked with mitigating the problem.
Associate Professor Lalita Hanwong, a lecturer at the Faculty of Social Science at Kasetsart University, has expressed doubt, however, that the talks via the RBC would help much, because Myanmar’s government lacks full control over Shan state, which is also under the influence of several ethnic armed groups, especially the United Wa State Army (UWSA), which has direct control over the mining operations by Chinese firms.
She suggests that the Thai government should approach China for help, by applying pressure on the UWSA and Chinese mining firms.
