Prachuap Khiri Khan MP Urges Agriculture Minister to Urgently Address Water Hyacinth Crisis Killing Fish Cages Worth Nearly 4 Million Baht
Water hyacinth choking the Prachuap River has decimated ruby fish farms in Prachuap Khiri Khan, killing thousands of oxygen-starved fish with damages exceeding 3.9 million baht, prompting an MP to demand urgent government intervention.
At 12:35 p.m. on May 21, a reporter in Prachuap Khiri Khan documented a critical water hyacinth crisis choking the Prachuap River, creating stagnant conditions with severely depleted oxygen levels. Fish farmers in Ban Sai district saw their ruby fish cages decimated as oxygen-starved fish floated to the surface and died en masse, with total damages exceeding 3.9 million baht. MP Amnuay Vilavaloey from Prachuap Khiri Khan District 1 of the Bhumjaithai Party brought the urgent matter to parliament, calling on the Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry to aggressively combat the water hyacinth problem and provide immediate relief to affected fish farmers.
Amnuay revealed the severity through aerial photographs showing the Prachuap River blanketed by dense mats of water hyacinth stretching for dozens of kilometers from Mueang Prachuap through Ban Sai districts. Despite provincial efforts, the massive volume of vegetation combined with privately-owned riverbanks has hindered irrigation department mechanized removal operations. High tidal conditions have worsened the situation by forcing water hyacinth further upstream into impassable blockages.
"Our people are suffering greatly, especially the fish farmers," Amnuay stated. "The fish are dying en masse because dissolved oxygen levels have plummeted to just 1.5 milligrams per liter—a critical level where aquatic life cannot survive."
Initial damage assessments identified two subdistricts and six villages in Ban Sai affected across Bang Phluwang and Bang Krachao subdistricts. The crisis has impacted 109 farmers, destroying over 2,895 square meters of fish cage area with cumulative damage reaching approximately 3,942,000 baht.
Amnuay, a five-term MP, emphasized this recurs annually, harming both raw drinking water quality and agricultural productivity while exacerbating seasonal flooding. He urged the Agriculture Minister to take decisive action based on the late King Rama IX's wisdom that "water is life," to restore vitality to both farmers and the Prachuap River.
Governor Veeraphun Deeawn has already mobilized emergency responses and ordered Ban Sai district to compile damage reports to declare the area a disaster zone for emergency fund allocation to compensate affected farmers.
