Pita Limjaroenrat has warned that Phuket risks becoming known as a “haven full of garbage” if the island’s waste management problems are not tackled urgently.
The Move Forward MP was addressing parliament for the first time in 6 months, following a Constitutional Court ruling that he didn’t violate the charter or the election laws with his shareholdings in a defunct TV channel called iTV.
Pita raised the issue of waste management on Phuket and in the central province of Samut Prakan, saying he has been studying the issue in both provinces for some time. He has also met with locals in both provinces to gather their views and points out that the landfill sites in both locations are not able to cope with the sheer volume of garbage being deposited each day. This means the rubbish continues to pile up and is becoming both a health threat and a fire risk.
According to Pita, Phuket generates around 800 tonnes of garbage every day. Of this, 700 tonnes are incinerated, with 100 tonnes going to landfill. The island gets around 200 billion baht in tourism revenue every year, whereas the combined budget of more than 10 local administrative organisations is only around 600 million baht.
Pita is calling for the island’s waste management budget to be significantly increased and for garbage to be addressed at source, reducing the amount generated and recycling more.
According to a Thai PBS World report, he also wants to see more decentralisation of authority, with local administrative organisations empowered to take over decisions on waste disposal from the Interior Ministry and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.
SOURCE: Thai PBS World
