The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is set to dispatch an expert team next week to engage with Myanmar officials regarding arsenic contamination in the Kok River.
This decision follows Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa’s recent Facebook post, addressing questions raised to Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra about water quality issues during her visit to Chiang Rai.
Maris highlighted that water pollution has become a primary concern for the government, influenced by residents’ reports. In response, the ministry is collaborating with Myanmar and China to establish an agreement aimed at addressing the issue.
An expert team, led by a consultant to the Ministry, is scheduled to travel to Naypyidaw for discussions on a joint pollution management plan. The objective is to tackle the problem at its source by implementing systems to control and prevent pollutants from entering the river.
Maris noted that the discussions will also explore acquiring technical assistance from an international organisation to ensure sustainable pollution management. Acting Interior Minister Theerarat Samrejvanich, who also directs a subcommittee on surface water quality improvement, stated that the Chiang Rai governor has been instructed to focus on water quality enhancement.
Additionally, the subcommittee has tasked the Natural Resources and Environment Minister with establishing a Monitoring and Surveillance Centre in Chiang Rai to address pollution concerns.
Myanmar has already deployed officers to inspect the river, with results to be presented at the Thai-Myanmar Regional Border Committee meeting on July 2 to July 3. Over the past month, communities in northern Thailand have pointed to unregulated gold mining in Myanmar’s Shan State, particularly by Chinese companies, as a significant contributor to the problem, reported Bangkok Post.
In similar news, a toxic threat is looming in northern Thailand as hazardous levels of arsenic and lead have been detected in the Sai River and sections of the Kok River in Chiang Rai, raising serious alarms about public health, the environment, and local food safety.
The story Thailand sends team to Myanmar for Kok River pollution talks as seen on Thaiger News.
