Nearly a year after upstream mines in Myanmar began contaminating their rivers with heavy metals, locals in northern Thailand say the pollution is no longer just ruining their livelihoods, it’s taking a toll on their health.
“I’ve had a bad rash for several months now,” said Kong, a fisherman who earns his living from the Kok River, which flows from Myanmar into Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai. “I can’t stop going to the river – it’s how I earn money – but I worry toxins from the water have already entered our bodies.”
Testing by government and independent agencies in April and May this year uncovered the scale of the problem. Water samples taken from the Kok River and nearby tributaries were found to contain high concentrations of arsenic and other heavy metals, far exceeding international safety levels.
Environmental groups and scientists have traced the contamination to a surge in unregulated gold and rare earth mining operations in Myanmar’s Shan State, along Thailand’s northern border.
Community’s lost income
The immediate ecological impact – visible in mass fish kill-offs and orange-stained waterways – has had a devastating effect on the local, river-based tourism industry.
Tourism operators such as riverside restaurants say customers have disappeared. Kanchana Kaewprapaynee, who represents restauranteurs in Ban Tha Ton, Chiang Mai province, said many had poured their life savings into eateries catering to tourists on boat tours. “But now nobody wants to come due to the pollution.”
Ban Tha Ton, a stopover for river tours to Chiang Rai and a gateway for hilltribe expeditions, has been singled out in field reports as an area devastated by economic and reputational damage.
Research by local media outlet Lanner estimated potential annual losses from contamination of the Kok River at 1.3 billion baht.
Those losses are also affecting farmers.
Charnchai Sriwatcharaphan, speaking on behalf of farmers in Chiang Mai’s Mae Ai district, complained that river sediment that once fertilised the area’s floodplains now contaminates the fields. “Our produce can no longer be exported,” he said.
The polluted river has also been declared unsafe for swimming.
School principal Chaipipat Sajjarattanapong said more than 10 schools in Ban Tha Ton have abandoned river-based swimming lessons and shifted them to a pool some 30 kilometres away.
“This added expense means only about 10% of students can now afford to learn to swim,” he said.
What tests do and don’t show
Earlier this month, Thai authorities reassured residents of 18 villages near the contaminated river that their tap water was safe to drink.
They cited samples that showed lead levels of between 0.012 and 0.021 mg/L – well below the 0.05-safe limit. Levels of arsenic, another toxic chemical used in mining operations, were also found to be below the safe threshold.
Local vegetables and fish were also tested, with results also showing contamination with lead and arsenic, but not at levels considered damaging to human health.
“We want to assure everybody that nothing appears to pose a risk to people’s health,” said Dr Sarawut Boonsuk, director-general of the Department of Medical Sciences. The tests were conducted on 268 samples collected between May and August.
However, tests conducted by independent researchers and NGOs paint a far more alarming picture, revealing arsenic and lead levels exceeding safety thresholds at several points along the Kok, Sai, and even the Mekong rivers.
Experts warned that samples taken over a short period may not detect longer-term contamination of the rivers. Dr Suebsakun Kidnukorn, manager and research associate of Mae Fah Luang University’s Area-based-Social Innovation Research Centre (Ab-SIRC), said Thai authorities should provide clear and transparent guidelines on dealing with the contamination.
“People should be warned of the presence of lead and arsenic in their water and told how to deal with it, including whether it is safe for pregnant women to continue eating fish from the area,” he said.
Somporn Pengkam, director of the Community Health Impact Assessment Platform (CHIA Platform), said there should be more focus on long-term lead poisoning, even if samples showed levels considered safe.
“Immediate action should be taken to protect people. What will happen to young children if they regularly bathe in tap water contaminated with lead, even at low levels?” she asked, adding that it was the duty of local authorities to ensure people have access to safe, clean water.
Penchom Saetang, executive director of EARTH (Ecological Alert and Recovery – Thailand), called for long-term testing of hair, nail and blood samples from residents in communities affected by the contamination.
“Arsenic causes cancer and we have to guard against it because even small amounts are carcinogenic,” she said.
Political roadblocks
In August, members of Paetongtarn Shinawatra’s government met the Myanmar regime’s Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation Minister, Khin Maung Yi, for talks on managing cross-border water quality.
However, the collaboration came to a standstill after Paetongtarn and her government were removed from office soon after.
Prof Siwatt Pongpiachan, director of NIDA Centre for Research & Development of Disaster Prevention & Management, warned that the lack of sustained political commitment and budget would mean the cross-border contamination drags on without a solution.
“It’s positive that researchers and civil society are working on this issue, but the real solution depends on government action,” he said.
He added that the huge sums required for long-term monitoring of people’s health and quality of water, crops and soil would only be possible with help from the state.
Sediment dykes and their pitfalls
Montree Chantawong, coordinator of Thai civil network The Mekong Butterfly, said the Department of Water Resources had proposed the building of dykes to trap sediment, which could then be cleaned of toxins and disposed of properly.
“The latest news is that four dykes will be erected, but I’m worried that these large structures will affect water flows during the monsoon,” he said. He also warned that sediment trapping, if poorly planned, can lead to worse pollution upstream.
Regional effort needed
Arisara Lekkham, deputy dean at Mae Fah Luang University’s Law Faculty, urged ASEAN countries to address the problem of illegal mining and cross-border pollution at ministerial-level meetings.
“For instance, ASEAN’s policy on ore-mining should be in line with the United Nation’s principles and focus on transparency, accountability, fairness and the private sector’s responsibility,” she said.
She would also like to see the creation of a joint ASEAN monitoring platform and a regional environmental remediation fund.
“Investors and businesses in the region should demonstrate more responsibility. The ‘polluter pays’ principle should be applied to ASEAN’s mining industry,” Arisara said.
