Foul Black Water Plagues Ayutthaya Canals, Sickens Residents
Foul black water in Ayutthaya’s Khao Ma canal has caused nausea, fish kills and flooding distress for local residents. Officials have applied EM treatment but the odor persists, and they are seeking extra pumps to restore drainage and improve water flow.
Villagers in Uthai district say the Khao Ma canal has turned black and reeked for more than a week, causing fish kills and making residents feel dizzy and unable to eat. A 63‑year‑old temple employee who sells fish food described having to leave her stall to escape the odor, while families whose homes are flooded say the black, foul water seeps inside, worsening sanitation worries. Local authorities have poured EM solution into the canal, but the smell remains strong, prompting Ayutthaya’s tourism and sports minister, Surasak Phanjeenwarakul, to say he has received complaints from the public and local agencies about polluted water in Wang Noi, Bang Pa‑in, Uthai and Phachi districts. He explained that irrigation dykes normally allow water to flow into the Pa Sak and Chao Phraya rivers, but current river levels are higher than the water inside the dykes, so gates cannot be opened without risking reverse flooding, leaving the canal water stagnant and mixed with decaying vegetation. The minister said his office has coordinated with Ayutthaya province and relevant agencies to form a special task force that will distribute EM and microorganisms, and has asked the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry for additional EM supplies, the Provincial Land Development Office and the Water Resources Department to gather existing EM, and the Irrigation Department for extra pumps to install at key drainage gates such as Ban Pho, the canal mouth and Hua Tra, to pump water out, restore flow and reduce the foul smell.
