A truck driver has been arrested and his vehicle impounded by the police after he allegedly dumped industrial waste in Kaeng Khoi industrial estate in Saraburi province.

Veeris Ammarapala, governor of the Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand (IEAT), said that the industrial waste is a green liquid which emits very strong petrol-like odour, adding that the waste covers an area of about 30 square meters.

To prevent the waste from flowing into nearby communities, he said estate officials have poured lime on the waste and cordoned off the dump site with sand bags, but not before the top soil was contaminated, which has endangered many trees near the site.

A company, specialising in the disposing of industrial waste, has been asked to remove the as yet unidentified substance, he added.

The IEAT has asked officials of the provincial industrial works office to collect samples of the liquid for analysis, with the test results expected before the end of this month, said Veeris.

The truck driver faces charges of trespass and illegal dumping of industrial waste.

Illegal dumping of such waste has been a common practice among a number of small and mid-sized factories, which do not have their own treatment facilities and cannot afford the cost of proper disposal.