Prachinburi Deputy Governor Denies Fish Contamination Amid Mass Petition

The Deputy Governor of Prachinburi has disputed reports of fish deaths caused by toxic contamination, insisting the fish are safe and even organizing an event inviting the public to eat fish. Meanwhile, the Save Prachinburi Network has collected over 30,000 signatures from five districts and plans to submit a petition to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment on November 4, demanding the area be officially declared a pollution control zone under Article 59 of the Environmental Quality Act.

On October 31, the Save Prachinburi Network, together with representatives of fish farmers and more than 100 affected residents, held an urgent meeting at Wat Had Sakae in Mueang Prachinburi District to assess the situation and develop a livelihood restoration plan. They announced the collection of over 30,000 names from five districts, both online and offline, from all affected groups.

Farmer representative Manat Khamrod revealed that farmers are burdened with massive debts but received disaster compensation of only 390 baht per square meter, which does not match actual losses reaching hundreds of thousands of baht per pond. This aligns with farmer Pharadon Phasit, known as "Beer Pla Ka-chang" in Mueang District, who reported that his tilapia and red tilapia, ready for sale for the New Year, died in four ponds, causing losses of over 500,000 baht. He pointed out that the problem stems from a lack of serious inspections of upstream factories in Kabin Buri and Si Maha Phot districts.

Network representative Busabong Chaokanna stated that the problem is more complex than local authorities can handle and requires structural solutions, with empirical evidence confirming the crisis. This includes floodwaters washing over industrial waste ponds in Hua Wa Subdistrict, Si Maha Phot District, where petroleum hydrocarbons were detected at 114,860 milligrams per liter. Urine tests of villagers in Kok Pib Subdistrict, Si Maha Sot District, found abnormal heavy metal levels in 73 people, who suffer from chest tightness and breathing difficulties. Aluminum contamination in the Prachinburi River reached 3.547 milligrams per liter, risking accumulation in the food chain and impacting economic crops like Prachinburi durian.

Additionally, illegal industrial waste dumping on a power-plant scale was found in Lat Takhian Subdistrict to avoid environmental impact assessment reporting. Residents in the area face discolored, foul-smelling tap water, forcing them to buy drinking water.

The network has proposed multi-phase solutions and demanded the Ministry establish a special task force to survey pollution sources, assess pollution carrying capacity, and enforce the polluter-pays principle to make the responsible factories bear all nature restoration costs.

Amid public outcry, residents like Siriporn and 77-year-old Aunt Uan from Had Sakae reflected that while the area flooded annually in the past, it never had such severe abnormalities. This crisis has exposed decades of pollution swept under the rug due to weak state enforcement. Villagers urge authorities to urgently restore the ecosystem before natural resources are damaged beyond repair.

As of 5:20 PM, Chanathip Kokmani, Deputy Governor of Prachinburi acting for the Governor...