Ranong: Many agencies have been mobilized to the Kraburi River area to collect water and sediment samples, aiming to identify pollutants. This initiative comes in response to the river’s transformation into a muddy red color, a change attributed to mining activities in Kawthaung Province, Myanmar, which has alarmed local villagers.
According to Thai News Agency, the Ranong Natural Resources and Environment Office, among other relevant agencies, has taken charge of the collection process. Samples were gathered from the Kranai Canal and the Kraburi River, specifically in the Pak Chan Subdistrict of Kraburi District. This area is characterized by the confluence of water from the Kranai Canal with the turbid, mining-affected waters of the Yung Canal from Myanmar.
Ms. Primate Charoennaphonkun, Director of the Water Quality, Air and Noise Management Division at the Office of Environmental and Pollution Control 15 in Phuket Province, explained that samples were taken from three key locations: the Kranai Canal on the Thai side, unaffected by the murky red water; the Kra Buri River, where the Kranai Canal water meets the Yung Canal; and the Yung Canal before its confluence with the Kranai Canal. Additionally, the sub-district’s tap water samples will be collected for testing, with results expected before the joint TBC Ranong-Koh Song meeting, which aims to address and resolve the pollution problem.
It has been noted that the canal water quality has improved compared to the previous week. This change followed media reports on the community’s distress and the Ranong police’s seizure of minerals from Myanmar. Consequently, mineral-laden ships from Myanmar have refrained from docking, and mining operations in Koh Song Province have temporarily halted for approximately one week.