The authorities in Phuket insist that black-coloured water seen during high tide at one of the island’s most popular beaches is not pollution. The mayor of Karon municipality says the stream of black water running down Karon Beach and into the sea is merely sediment.
This sort of excuse has been rolled out by officials every time there is a complaint, or a social media post, related to foul-smelling effluent or ‘black water’ flowing into the beach areas in Phuket.
The Bangkok Post reports that Jadet Wicharasorn made the claim in response to photos that have gone viral on social media. The images show a black stream flowing into the sea, darkening the water.
PHOTO: MGR Online
Jadet says the water comes from Nong Han pond, part of a public park near the beach that covers an area of some 7 rai. According to the mayor, the water is black as a result of high tide reaching the pond and, when retreating, drawing black sediment from the pond, across the sand, and into the sea.
“I insist that the water is not polluted. Polluted water would have blackened all the seawater along the beach.”
To prove his point, the mayor says he had tests carried out on the seawater at Karon Beach and that samples collected were “crystal clear and odourless”. He adds that his municipality will dig holes to trap the sediment upstream and prevent it reaching the sea water.
SOURCE: Bangkok Post
