Bangkok Post
May 22, 2002

The Klong Dan wastewater facility in Samut Prakan has won the dubious honour of becoming one of Thailand’s most expensive “white elephant” — the residents of Klong Dan have every right to oppose this project.

The multi-billion-baht treatment plant has been opposed by local people and rejected by many of the industries it is intended to serve almost from its inception as the germ of an idea. Now it seems, although work is 90% complete and the plant is expected to be ready to open by the end of the year, that it may never enter operation.

The residents of Klong Dan have every right to oppose this project. The owner, the Pollution Control Department, has never conducted an environmental impact assessment study. It reasons that this is unnecessary as the project will not threaten the surrounding environment and, in fact, will bring an end to the discharge of pollutants by factories in the province. The locals say the plant could deprive them of their way of life by killing off the natural resources on which they make a living.

Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has accepted the villagers’ arguments. He was clearly impressed during a visit to the plant site by the pristine nature of the existing community and the richness of the marine life which would be put at risk by the discharge of the treated wastewater. A fact-finding committee appointed by the prime minister also concluded recently that the project had been burdened by irregularities at all stages of its development — ranging from the calling of tenders to land acquisition, the drafting of the contracts and payment reimbursement.

The committee found serious fault with the Pollution Control Department. Not only did it not conduct the environmental impact assessment, it moved the project to Klong Dan from Bang Pla Kod and Bang Pu, which resulted in an estimated cost overrun of 5.4 billion baht due to the need for a 30km pipeline. It also changed the treatment system from the Aerated Lagoon type to the Extended Aeration Activated Sludge method without negotiating with the contractor for a reduction in the site needed to 600 rai from 1,900 rai. This added another totally unnecessary 1.3 billion baht to the cost to be borne by the state.

The Pollution Control Department is not the only one at fault in this matter however. The management of the Asian Development Bank, the project’s biggest creditor, also must share some of the blame for this foul up, according to the bank’s own independent inspection team. It found the management had not observed the bank’s good governance and project evaluation and monitoring policies nor its environmental guidelines.

The Klong Dan wastewater treatment plant can be compared to an unwanted baby. Its presence cannot be ignored, it demands attention, no matter how deeply we regret bringing it into this world. The project cannot simply be abandoned, as suggested by Charoon Youngpraphakorn, a senator for Samut Prakan, even though this would have the benefit of reminding us of bureaucratic folly and incompetence.

The country cannot afford another expensive white elephant left to its own decay. The government must come up with a way to make use of this unwanted behemoth which does not impinge on the livelihoods of the local people and benefits the country as a whole. The Klong Dan people also should be reminded that Samut Prakan needs an effective wastewater treatment facility. It cannot afford to live any longer with the effluence the province produces. More importantly, the corrupt politicians and state officials responsible for this assault on basic decency and common sense must not be allowed to escape punishment. They must be identified and brought to justice.