Chon Buri: A probe has been launched to investigate 150 tonnes of hazardous waste, some of which has been left discarded in Bang Lamung district since 2016.
Chon Buri Provincial Office for Local Administration chief Santi Phinchareon yesterday led a committee on provincial solid waste management to meet Jamnien Keetheepakul, chairman of the Khao Mai Kaew Tambon Administrative Organisation (TAO), on the issue.
The investigation is being conducted in response to an order issued by provincial governor Pakathorn Tienchai.
Mr Santi said the provincial governor voiced his concern that the hazardous waste would be detrimental to the environment and to the livelihoods of locals in the tambon.
It was illegal to leave hazardous garbage on a site without proper disposal for more than a year, he said.
Mr Santi said the probe result would be forwarded to Mr Pakathorn and the Interior Ministry to set up a fact-finding panel to look into the issue.
The move came after villagers in tambon Khao Mai Kaew lodged a petition with the TAO, calling on the agency to help clear more than 120 tonnes of waste in their community which is among areas under a provincial waste management scheme.
The TAO's initial probe found the garbage came from local hospitals in Pattaya which dumped it in the tambon from October to December last year. It was during this period a new concessionaire to handle waste management in the municipality was being sought.
Pattaya City was later assigned to collect the waste from the tambon by Feb 15.
However, when the new contractor was sent to collect the garbage, another batch of hazardous waste weighing over 30 tonnes was discovered there, resulting in another petition to local authorities.
Suthee Thapnonghee, director of the Pattaya City's Environment Department, said the latest 30 tonnes were resulted from a procurement problem in late 2016.
