PM asked to urgently address toxic contamination in Kok and Sai rivers before rainy season arrives

The people’s network of Kok and Sai River basins said the rivers have apparently been contaminated by heavy metals released from watersheds upstream, and the issue needs to be addressed urgently as the rainy season is approaching

The network, representing residents and academics in the Kok and Sai River Basins in Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai provinces, has released an open letter addressing its recipient as Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra to call for her to urgently address the issue.

The group cited some recent reports that on the watersheds upstream in Myanmar, there have been mining activities that have opened up the soil surface extensively, prompting it to be deluted and flushed away downstream. 

These could be seen via Google Earth, the group said, also citing the Department of Pollution Control (PCD) that reported in 2023 that at least 14 minging activities were undertaken near the Thai-Myanmar border in the North, and five of them were located close to the rivers that run into Thailand, thus posing risks to the river residents living along the border.

“The two rivers, Kok and Sai, are the lifelines of people in the basins. They are the water sources for their irrigation as well as tap water for consumption and household uses,” said the group. 

Despite the rising challenge, the group has learned that there are no comprehensive monitoring and solutions in place for the people. Last year, they had just suffered from heavy flooding, and the government’s reparations provided were not sufficient to cover their losses. 

The group is worried about the situation as there is only around one month left before the rainy season arrives again. So, it has proposed some measures for the PM and her government to urgently address.

The group has called on a new working group to specifically work on this issue, comprising stakeholders from state agencies as well as civil society and academics in the region to help address the challenge and come up with proportionate solutions, including the new scientific water quality monitoring station in Chiang Rai. The studies should also be extended to cover transboundary impacts in the basins.

Disaster preparedness and response measures should be implemented in the basins systematically and inclusively, whereas accountable and transparent communication should be established alongside. 

The government should work with the government of Myanmar as well as armed groups in the area to resolve this challenge together. Negotiations among concerned parties, Thailand, Myanmar, ethnic armed groups, and China, may be necessary, the group said.

As reported by Transborder News and Shan Human Rights Foundation, the upstream area has been opened up for gold mining under the influence of the United Wa State Army (UWSA). On March 14 this year, the issue was first exposed publicly following the demonstration on the occasion of the International Day of Action for Rivers by Tha Ton residents in the border district of Mae Ai, where the Kok River from Myanmar’s Shan State flows into Thailand. 

Aerial photographs have revealed the opening of the soil in a wide area of ​​the Kok watershed, the foundation claimed. Some gold mines are owned by Chinese investors who allegedly provide support to the Wa Army, it added. 

The Thai Lower House’s standing committee on natural resources, land, and environment has also accepted the case for examination. According to the committee, the latest report of the Natural Resources and Environment Office, District 1, Chiang Mai Province, has found arsenic, lead, and chromium more than double the standard in the Kok River, Mae Ai District, Chiang Mai Province. Gold mining from the neighbouring country was suspected.

The committee has also proposed immediate solutions to address the issue to the government. First and foremost, it must urgently communicate the issue with communities along the river. Public health examinations must be conducted for people in the area, and a new fund may need to be set up to compensate those affected by the contamination. Other sectors, including local tourism and water supply, must be urgently rehabilitated, the committee said.

Last but not least, negotiations among the concerned parties urgently need to be organised to address the issue together.

The committee has also proposed long-term solutions for the government. Permanent water monitoring stations and real-time reporting must be set up to issue a warning to people in the area. Related sectors, including local tourism, must be empowered so as for them to handle the situation in the future.

A joint working group should be set up to address transboundary environmental issues and a new law to regulate transboundary environmental issues should be developed and put in place to help address future transboundary issues between the countries, the committee proposed.