Environmental Issues In Thailand

The human population on this earth is rapidly approaching 6.5 billion people. There are currently more human bodies on this planet than the earth can support, especially at the rate of which we are consuming its precious resources. Humans have had an extreme negative impact on the natural health of this planet, and continue to do so. Poaching, habitat destruction, air and water pollution, and the introduction of exotic species are just a few of the ways that humans have disturbed the natural environment.

Thailand is a country that has undergone considerable economic growth over the past three decades. This growth has resulted in rapid industrialization, urbanization, intensified agricultural production and fishing. This growth has debased land and water quality, degraded and/or eliminated natural habitats, and produced increasing levels of air and water pollution. In response, the people of Thailand and the Government have proposed to improve air and water quality, recover degraded land and wildlife communities, adopt energy efficient technologies and invest in pollution reduction proposals.

Environmental Science students from Mahidol Wittayanusorn have researched the top environmental issues affecting Thailand today, and have proposed ways for the youth of this nation to participate in passing on a healthy environment to future generations.

Hazardous Waste in Thailand

Hazardous waste is likely to grow rapidly with a strong economy. As industrialization and development continue at a rapid pace and as populations increase, so do problems of pollution and waste generation that are associated with them. Hazardous waste has inherent problems of transport, treatment and disposal that distinguish it from other classes of waste and make it particularly difficult to manage. The range of waste that is considered hazardous is wide, from hazardous waste produced by households, including such items as batteries, light bulbs, spray cans and cleaning solvents that may be mixed in with municipal waste streams to heavy metals that generated from industrial activities.

Hazardous Waste in Thailand

For industrial waste in Thailand, there is only 24% of hazardous waste produced in Bangkok and vicinity is treated by licensed centralized treatment facilities. The remainder is managed using a combination of lower cost and often times less regulated practices. Approximately 14 percent of the waste is managed off-site through disposal by other unlicensed treatment and disposal operators, waste buyers and private recycling firms. In addition, 56 percent of hazardous waste is managed on the factory site which, due to the large numbers of factories, is difficult to regularly monitor.

For household hazardous waste, it was produce less than one quarter of the community generated hazardous waste in the country, but account for half of the community hazardous waste disposed in landfills. Although there have been attempts in Bangkok to improve household waste management, there is currently limited segregation at the source; limited awareness among the public and collection workers; and limited systematized disposal practices.

Waste of Biologic waste is an environmental concern, as many medical wastes are classified as infectious or biohazardous and could potentially lead to the spread of infectious diseases. Examples of infectious waste include blood, potentially contaminated "sharps" such as needles and scapels, and identifiable body parts. Infectious waste is often incinerated, and is usually sterilized if it is to be placed in a landfill. Additionally, medical premises produce a variety of waste hazardous chemicals, including radioactive materials. While such wastes are normally not infectious, they may be classified as hazardous waste, and require proper disposal.



What does hazardous waste affect to the people and environment?

Human health

· contains one or more of 39 carcinogenic, mutagenic, or teratogenic compounds at levels that exceed established limits (includingmany solvents, pesticides, and paint strippers)
· Water pollution causes due to contamination of drinking water by untreated sawage in developing countries.
· reactive or unstable enough to explode or release toxic fumes (including acids, bases, ammonia, and chlorine bleach)
· Source of disease proliferation especially garbage or waste from hospital
Effect of environment
· Air pollution and global warming from combusting the waste
· Waste released in canal or river will contaminate the water and spoil the water ecosystem. Furthermore, it obstructs the drains and cause flood.

Effect of Hazardous Waste to Ecosystems

- Sulfer dioxide and oxides of nitrogen can cause acid rain which reduces the pH value of soil.
- Soil can become infertile and unsuitable for plants. This will affect other organism in the food web.
-Smog and haze can reduce the amount of sunlight received by plants to carry out photosinthesis.
-Invasive species can out compete native species and reduce biodiversity. Invasive plants can contribute debris and biomolecules (allelopathy) that can alter soil and chemical compositions of an environment, often reducing native species competitiveness.
-Biomagnification describes a situation where toxins may be pass through trophic levels, becoming exponentially more concentrated in the process.

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Management

Reuse and Recycling Promotion: Includes promotion of reuse and recycling methods for hazardous waste, including use of cement kilns in
recycling, and supports waste analysis and blending industries.
Waste Exchange: This ongoing program aimed to match factories that can use certain types of waste as raw materials with factories that produce
that waste would be promoted further through broader dissemination and programs to get industries together to arrange exchanges.
Waste Minimization: Includes implementation of a waste manifest system to track the amount of waste produced and its destination;
undertakes waste audits to promote better management of waste and segregation of recyclables; encourages zero emissions in industrial estates; and formulates industrial waste management for individual industrial sectors.

What can you do as an individual or as a class to help resolve this issue?

1. Minimise the amount of waste you produce. Waste is expensive in all terms; the world's physical resources and the University financial resources. Buy and use less, reuse and recycle more. Follow the waste hierarchy. Some wastes (such as microbiological and some chemical material) can be treated on site to remove a hazard before being disposed of, thus minimising human and environmental risk and reducing costs of disposal.

2. Deal with your own waste. Find out where to put the waste you generate. If you work in a laboratory or workshop you will know the hazards of the waste. Before you finish your studies or employment at the University ensure that you do not leave materials in cupboards, refrigerators etc..

3. Identify the hazards in the waste so that information on the nature of the waste can be passed on to people further down the chain of the 'duty of care'. Conversely, if the hazard no longer exists, hazard warning information (such as pictograms and hazard warning phrases) on containers should be removed, or defaced, before disposal.

4. Segregate and contain the waste to avoid problems of mixing incompatible wastes and to avoid spreading hazards in the work area.

5. Transfer sufficient information to ensure the safe ultimate disposal of any hazardous waste.

6. Use licensed and audited carriers and disposers.

Introduction of Non-Native Species in Thailand

Non Native species

Non native species is often referred to as alien, exotic, nonnative, non-indigenous, or naturalized species

Introduction of Non native species

Introduction of Non native species mean to transport non native species to new locations as the results of human activities and ignorance


Sucker Catfish Problem

sucker catfish is a fish that use to clean the fish tank by eating moss. Then when they grow up, People place them to the river because the fish are inactive and unable to clean a tank. Since sucker catfish can breed very fast and they eat everthing, one of them is other fish eggs so it cause other species become extinc.

What are a Thai Government and the Thai people currently doing to resolve this problem ?

1. Prohibit placing some sucker catfish into rivers.
2. Owner can exchange sucker catfish with other types. (For example; Golden fish)
3. Catch sucker catfish from the river and bury them.
4. Bring sucker catfish to be a crocodile's food.

What can we do ?

1. Don't use sucker catfish for cleaning a fish tank.

2. Anounce a situation and its effects to our friends and family.

References

http://brt.biotec.or.th/upload/Proceedings_10_19_introdection_or_non-indigenous.pdfhttp://www.jncc.gov.uk/page-1532

Poaching/ Illegal Hunting in Thailand

Information

Poaching

Poaching is the illegal hunting, fishing or harvesting of wild plants or animals. It may be illegal because:

• The game or fish is not in season, usually the breeding season is declared as the closed season when wildlife species are protected by law.
• The poacher does not possess a license.
• The poacher is illegally selling the animal or animal parts or plant for a profit.
• The animal is being hunted outside of legal hours.
• The hunter used an illegal weapon for that animal.
• The animal or plant is on restricted land.
• The right to hunt this animal is claimed by somebody.
• The means used are illegal (for example, baiting a field while hunting quail, using spotlights to stun or paralyze deer, or hunting from a moving vehicle, watercraft, or aircraft).
• The animal or plant is protected by law or that it has been listed as extinct or an endangered (see for example the Endangered Species Act for the USA)
• The animal or plant has been tagged by a research

Endanger Wildlife in Thailand

White-eyed River Martin

Javan Rhino

Sumatran Rhino

Kouprey or Kouproh

Asiatic or Wild Water Buffalo

Brow-antlered Deer

Schomburgk's Deer

Scrow

Grey Chinese Goral

Black-breasted Pitta

East Sarus Crane

Marbled Cat

Malayan Tapir

Fea's Barking Deer

Dugong

Article

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THAILAND'S PROTECTED AREAS

Thailand lies at the crossroads of Indochina and Sundaic zoogeographic regions and so supports an unusual diversity of flora and fauna, including 10% of the world's bird fauna, and possibly the largest
subpopulations of tigers and elephants in Mainland Southeast Asia. Thailand's birds (970 spp) include many endangered species including Gurney's pitta, Chestnut-headed partridge, Crested fireback, Wrinkled hornbill, and White-winged duck. Of the mammals (280 spp), key endangered species include Tiger, Banteng, Asian elephant, Fea's muntjac, Malayan tapir, Clouded leopard, and Kitti's hog-nosed bat. Reptiles (319 spp) include endangered Siamese crocodile, River terrapin, Big-headed turtle, Giant Asiatic softshell turtle, and four species of sea-turtles.

With over 200 fully staffed national parks, sanctuaries and non-hunting areas covering 17% of the country, Thailand has the most comprehensive protected area system in the region and a solid foundation on which to conserve important and diverse refuges for wildlife. Most of the largest and most intact areas lie in remote border areas that in the past were areas of civil unrest and conflict. That people avoided these areas in the past is partly why they are still good areas for wildlife now. Examples of important transboundary forests for wildlife are Balahala, Kaeng Krachan, and the Western Forest Complex.

However, as a consequence of rapid expansion of human populations in the last 50 years, a full 12% of Thailand's vertebrate fauna is now considered threatened or endangered, and their habitats are highly fragmented and dispersed relative to those in neighbouring countries. Examples of fragmented forests are Khao Yai, Phu Khieo and Khao Sok. Considering all of this, a priority for conservation in Thailand is to strive to maintain the integrity of intact areas for wildlife through promoting sustainable land use, tourism and other development practices.

Another priority is to stop wildlife poaching by educating and hiring local people to participate in conservation initiatives. Finally, a long-term goal is to develop the capacity of government staff to understand, monitor and protect wildlife and other natural resources through practical training workshops and on-the-job training. The Thailand government is currently making great progress in this area, teaming up with other government and non-government agencies to develop their staff potential.

Soil Erosion in Thailand

Petchaburi

Krabi

Chonburi

Bangpu

Soil erosion is natural phenomenon which occurs due to forces from rain water, surface runoff, wind, gravity, etc., exerting on surface soil and result in detachment and transport of soil from that area. Soil erosion rate varies depending on many factors including rainfall intensity and duration, area slope, covered vegetation, soil type, wind velocity, surface runoff rate, etc. Soil erosion has resulted in loss in surface soil which normally has high nutrients. It also causes environmental problems indownstream area and receiving water body.

WHAT HAPPEN !!! IN EACH PART OF THAILAND

Songkhla

Songkhla lake is a significant water resource in the southern part of Thailand. It is a large lagoon which receives freshwater from its watershed and finally drains into the Gulf of Thailand.

And what happen???

Rapid growth of population and urbanization, as well as changes in land use patterns in Songkhla lake basin in the past few decades result in degradation in environmental quality. Among the severe problems are deposition of sediment transported from the watershed, degradation in water quality in some parts of the lake, reduction in fishery resource, and algal bloom in some areas during some months of the year. Deposition of sediment has made the lake shallower gradually. km2. Though water depth in the lake varies in the range of 1 - 4 m, the average depth is only 1.5 m. This sediment deposition has caused navigation and fishery problems and will shorten useful life of the lake. The Harbour Department had to spend lot of money in dredgingduring the past decade.

WHAT we can do >"<

1. Reduce using paper

2. Planting

3. Campaign

reference: http://www.cv.titech.ac.jp/~jsps/activity_report/2007/Winai%20PDF.pdf

Deforestation in Thailand

If the foot feels the foot when it feels the ground, as the Buddha said, then does the hand feel the hand when it feels a tree?

(from http://ecoworldly.com/2008/01/19/thai-monks-combat-deforestation/)

Between 1945 and 1975 forest cover in Thailand dropped from 61% to 34% of the country’s land area. Over the next 11 years Thailand lost close to 28% of all of their remaining forests. This means that they were losing 3.1% of their forest cover each year over that period. Northern Thailand, the most heavily forested region of the country was not subject to central government and settlement until the second half of the nineteenth.

(from http://www.trfic.msu.edu/rfrc/deforestation.html )

For example, deforestation in continental Southeast Asia (excludes Malaysia and Indonesia) from 1973 to 1985. The black represents forest, the lighter areas deforestation. The dark gray represents cloud cover, and white areas are places for which no satellite information was available. During this time period, about 50,000 square miles was deforested. China and India are included on the map but no assessment of their forest cover was made.

Causes:
· Agriculture
· Industry
· Wildfire
· Population growth
· Land ownership policy

Effect:

· Flood
· Global Warming
· Climate Change
· Wildlife Extinction
· Economics
· Habitat destruction
· Soil erosion

Thai Government Policy:
· The policy about protecting nearly extinct wildlife.
· Prevent people from invading into the forest area.
· Reforestation

What can we do to help resolving this issue?
· Use less paper products
· Plant trees
· Raise awareness about the effects of deforestation.
· Reuse the paper.
· Make a project to find out other materials for making paper.

Air and Water Pollution in Thailand

Water Pollution in Thailand

Water pollution is the contamination of water bodies such as lakes, rivers, oceans, and groundwater caused by human activities, which can be harmful to organisms and plants which live in these water bodies

Water pollution has become a serious environmental issue all over the world, including Thailand. Besides the fact that Thailand had less available water per person than any other country in Asia, and nearly one third of its water was “unsuitable for human consumption.''
Especially in the populous Central Region, where high levels of industrial and domestic wastewater is produced.

Coastal waters also face challenges. The Gulf of Thailand is primarily polluted by domestic wastewater, and further by waste from industry and tourism. In addition to the Gulf, high pollution levels were found at the mouths of the Chao Phraya, Tha Chin, Pak Panang, Pattani and Ranong rivers. Coastal water quality in most areas, however, are within acceptable standards.
Water pollution has become obvious in many areas. In 1997, hundreds of thousands of fish and other aquatic life in the Nam Phong River died as a result of industrial river pollution. Large amounts of arsenic were found in the groundwater in the Nakhon Si Thammarat province, a result of mining industry in the area

Effects to Human

Health Effects
Water pollution results in typhoid, dysentery, hepatitis, trachoma, hookworm infection and diarrhea. In 1999, hospitalization rates were:
Typhoid — 4,000 hospitalizations
Dysentery — 7,000
Diarrhea — 95,000
Exposure to toxins and heavy metals in water causes skin disease, liver cancer and birth defects. Klity Creek in Kanchanaburi province was found to carry dangerous levels of lead from a lead separation plant upstream. Lead levels are apparently the cause of many cases of Down's Syndrome in village children, unidentified illnesses in adults, and many cattle deaths. In 1998, the plant was closed and the creek dredged, although by 2000 lead levels were still considered unsafe.

Thai government's efforts

In 1992, the government passed several pieces of legislation to prevent water pollution; the laws primarily limit industrial water contamination:

• Enhancement and Conservation of National Environment Quality Act (NEQA) of 1992


• Factories Act of 1992


• Navigation in Thai Waterways Act (Volume 14 ) as amended in 1992


• Public Health Act of 1992


• Cleanliness and Tidiness of the Country Act of 1992
  The government continues to invest in wastewater treatment plants. In 2000, enough treated water was available to support 29% of the population, with more treatment plants under construction; upon completion, treated water would be able to support 65% of the population. The most common water treatment techniques are inexpensive to build and maintain, including oxidation ditches, aerated lagoons and stabilization ponds. The government is also investigating more effective and modern techniques such as constructed wetlands.

(Wikipedia, 2008)

What can individuals do for the prevention?

• Dispose of all unused household hazardous wastes at your local disposal site.
  


• Use natural alternatives.


• If you spill fertilizers, sweep them up, do not wash them into the streets and storm drains.
  


• Never apply fertilizers before a heavy rain is anticipated.
  


• Do not over apply fertilizers. More application does not mean a greener lawn, it means more watering and mowing


• Minimize the use of pesticides and herbicides and use alternatives if possible.
  


• Make sure that all directions and warnings are read before use


• Donate your old paint to community groups.
  


• Dispose of oil-based and lead paints at your local household hazardous waste collection site


• Recycle your used motor oil.
  


• Never pour used motor oil down a storm drain or onto your grass or driveway.
  


• Put litter into garbage cans, never throw it into storm drains or the street.
  


• Recycle as much plastic and other materials as possible