The push for the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) will involve local administrative organizations (LAOs) in environmental management in the area, such as waste management, to support urban and population expansion.

Piya Pitutecha, the President of the Rayong Provincial Administration Organization (PAO Rayong) revealed that Rayong Province is one of three provinces within the EEC area, designated as a major industrial development zone that will play a crucial role in enhancing Thailand's economy in the future.

Therefore, it is essential to accelerate the construction of wastewater treatment infrastructure to accommodate the growth of the industrial sector and the increasing communities, ensuring that economic development is balanced with environmental preservation to prevent future problems.

The Rayong PAO has initiated a project to construct a comprehensive wastewater collection and treatment system for Rayong Province, consisting of two projects:

1. Construction of a wastewater collection and treatment system for Pluak Daeng District, which will cover Pluak Daeng District, serving over 55,000 residents in the Mabyangporn and Pluak Daeng sub-districts, generating approximately 4,500 cubic meters of wastewater per day.

2. Enhancement of wastewater management efficiency in the pollution control zone in Rayong Province. This pollution control area includes Rayong Municipality, Map Ta Phut Municipality, Nern Phra Sub-district Municipality, Ban Chang Municipality, and others, serving a total of 316,113 residents, with approximately 60,000 cubic meters of wastewater generated daily.

“Both areas are economically significant for the EEC as they host numerous industrial estates. Currently, there is no systematic wastewater management, which adversely affects the water quality in the Rayong River and various canals, particularly the reservoirs in Pluak Daeng District, a vital water source for Rayong Province. Contamination from pollution discharge into these water sources could have widespread impacts on downstream urban communities that rely on this water,”

Thus, it is urgently necessary to address these issues by establishing a comprehensive wastewater management system to support the expansion driven by EEC development. A consultant has been hired to study the feasibility of a comprehensive wastewater collection and treatment system suitable for the area. The study results categorize the wastewater management areas into two groups, with a total investment value of 2.309 billion baht:

1. Construction of a wastewater collection and treatment system for Pluak Daeng District with a total budget of 730 million baht, including urgent wastewater management area 1, which involves constructing a wastewater collection and treatment system in Mabyangporn Sub-district with a budget of 380 million baht, expected to start construction in 2020. Urgent wastewater management area 2 will involve constructing a wastewater collection and treatment system in Pluak Daeng Sub-district with a budget of 350 million baht, expected to begin in 2021.

2. Enhancement of wastewater management efficiency in the pollution control zone in Rayong Province with a total budget of 1.579 billion baht, divided into three urgent wastewater management areas:

Urgent wastewater management area 1, Rayong Municipality, will involve laying collection pipes and improving the wastewater treatment system with a budget of 804 million baht.

Urgent wastewater management area 2, Map Ta Phut Municipality, will lay wastewater collection pipes and improve the treatment system with a budget of 405 million baht, expected to be implemented in 2021-2022.

Urgent wastewater management area 3, Ban Chang Municipality, will involve laying wastewater collection pipes and constructing a treatment system with a budget of 370 million baht, expected to start in 2022-2023.

The project for constructing a comprehensive wastewater collection and treatment system for Rayong Province is ready to proceed immediately, as the construction areas belong to the respective municipalities and the consultant has already conducted public consultations and preliminary environmental impact assessments.

Once this project is completed, the wastewater generated will be treated before being released into public water sources, benefiting over 350,000 residents in the project area. It will also serve as a model for urban development alongside environmental preservation and elevate Rayong Province to a sustainable eco-industrial city.

Additionally, the budget for this operation has been approved by the Office of the Eastern Special Development Zone Policy Committee (ESDC) as it is a high-budget project that supports the growth of the EEC, which is crucial for the national economy. Urgent approval of the budget is necessary to accommodate the rapid growth of communities and expanding cities; delays may adversely affect the environment.

The operation will hire the Wastewater Management Organization, an agency under the Ministry of Interior, to manage it. In the first year, the Rayong PAO will cover all management costs, which will later reduce to 50% as local areas take responsibility for establishing regulations to collect wastewater treatment fees from communities.

Eventually, the responsibility will gradually be transferred to the communities entirely. It is believed that this project can be implemented in the long term. If local collections are insufficient, municipalities will need to secure budgets for operations, as this is a necessary project for environmental preservation that the government must support.

SOURCE: www.bangkokbiznews.com