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Published on October 12, 2007

The public and private sectors will jointly invest Bt22 billion over the next four years to solve the problems of industrial pollution at Map Ta Phut in Rayong province.

Energy permanent secretary Pornchai Rujiprapha, who is vice chairman of an ad hoc subcommittee on pollution in Rayong, said four main areas had been identified in efforts to solve the problem. Chief among them is joint investment of Bt22 billion over four years.

Ninety per cent of it will be spent on equipment to reduce toxic emissions, and the rest will go towards enhancing health standards.

The Industrial Works Department and the Industrial Estates Authority of Thailand (IEAT) will also work on regulations to reduce emissions, he said.

Pornchai said business operators in the industrialised area had completed plans to reduce toxic emissions, and some had implemented their plans.

"The Pollution Control Department, the Industrial Works Department and the IEAT recently investigated 100 industrial plants and found leakages of volatile organic compounds at 349 points.

So far, leaks at 196 points have been solved, while the other 153 leaks will be fixed by the end of next March," Pornchai said.

The Industrial Works Department and the IEAT, together with the Energy Ministry, have worked out an investment plan with private operators to reduce emissions of the dangerous gases nitrogen oxide and sulphur dioxide, he said. Before the end of 2010, about Bt18.8 billion will have been spent to reduce emissions of the gases 7 per cent and 34 per cent, respectively.

To date, they have been reduced 3.4 per cent and 5.6 per cent, respectively.

Plants in the IEAT estate have been able to reduce wastewater by 1.2 million cubic metres, while the original target for this year was only 700,000 cubic metres. Plants outside the industrial estate have also reduced wastewater by 600,000 cubic metres.

"The Industrial Works Department will work closely with those operators outside the industrial estate to reduce wastewater by another 10 per cent next year," Pornchai said.

As incentives for reducing pollution, the subcommittee has agreed upon tax incentives to be granted by the Board of Investment, he said.

Industrial operators must comply with emission standards to be set by the National Resources and Environment Board, and the Industrial Works Department will soon implement emissions charges, to be made against industrial operators according to the level of their emissions.

With financial support from PTT, Siam Cement and Dow Chemical (Thailand), the authorities will also improve air-control centres to monitor air quality in the Map Ta Phut area, Pornchai said.

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