Concerned officials are rushing to contain chemicals and hazardous waste burned down at a recycling plant of Win Process Co., Ltd. located in Rayong’s Bang Khai district since April 22, while those surviving the fires are also posing the risk of toxic contamination to the environment nearby
The Pollution Control Department’s chief, Preeyaporn Suwankes, has revealed upon her inspection at the site along with the environment minister’s advisors yesterday that hazardous waste and chemical vapours are still prevalent at the site and they can leak to the environment, posing a risk to it and communities nearby.
The department has examined toxic vapours in the air and learned that they have extensively declined to the point that they will not cause immediate effects on people’s health as first detected. But some odour is still detected near the site and afar, she added.
Environment Minister Pol. Gen. Patcharawat Wongsuwan was concerned about people’s health and instructed the department and his advisors to follow up on the impacts of the incident and cooperate with other concerned agencies to prevent further impacts. The most concern at this point is the rainy season is approaching and it can dampen the clear-up efforts at the site.
As reported by the Rayong PR Office on May 7, two weeks after the fire broke out at the plant, smoke was still sent to the air from its 3rd, 4th, and 5th warehouses although no flames were detected. The smoke at the 3rd warehouse, in particular, posed a challenge to the engineering team examining the burned structures as it had kept Aluminium dross that can react to water and combust.
The engineering team learned that the roof of the building was broken and this has impeded the attempt to remove the chemical and keep it in a safer place. Some structures at the site had also collapsed, further complicating the clear-up efforts, the office noted. (Read: Sporadic fires at recycling plant in Rayong impede investigation and clear-up efforts)
The Department of Industrial Works (DIW) so far has proposed to the court, asking it to endorse the use of the company’s deposit worth nearly five million baht placed at the court to clear up the mess. It got the court’s approval but the sum of money is enough to cover only the most urgent clear-up work. More is needed for the rest of the waste left at the site, the DIW’s chief Julapong Taweesri said.
His officials and concerned provincial authorities are rushing to dig up a new pit inside the compound and expand the existing ones to try to contain the toxic water expected in this rainy season so that it will not leak and contaminate the environment nearby.
During the excavation that started on April 28, black-brownish liquid was seeping out of the ground, posing fears among the residents that the toxic contamination from the plant has actually reached the groundwater there. There has been speculation that the recycling plant dug up several pits around the compound to keep distillation residues for years. The department examined the substance and confirmed its acidity at 2pH or less.
So far, 120 people have been admitted to hospital. Over 600 residents in 28 communities of four Tambons in two districts of Bang Khai and Pluak Daeng have been affected by chemical particles, vapours, and odours, and over 90% of them have had their health affected.
Progress on the investigation into the causes of the blaze and the link to another hazardous waste storage warehouse in Ayutthaya province’s Phachi district, which was burned down afterwards, has not been updated or made public so far.
The Rayong forensics police officers went to investigate the site a few days ago, but could only check around the burned buildings as some chemicals kept inside still smouldered, causing the work conditions to be not 100% safe, the Rayong PR Office reported.
The extent of environmental damage has not been concluded and complaints against such damage have not been made by any agencies either.
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