February 27, 2003

Klong Dan wastewater treatment plant will be left standing like a monument, and two small plants built to take its place, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said yesterday.

“It will be cheaper and no trouble to Klong Dan residents,” the premier said.

Most of the collection system for piping wastewater in heavily industrialised Samut Prakan province to the central treatment centre will remain, but the almost complete facility will be permanently scrapped and replaced by two new plants in Phra Pradaeng and Bang
Pu, Thaksin said.

The original plan called for plants on either bank of the ChaoPhyaRiver.

Environment Minister Prapat Panyachatraksa said he had ordered a feasibility study for Thaksin’s proposal, which would also cover the conversion of the original treatment plant into a marine research centre.

To help the ongoing investigation into alleged corruption in the Klong Dan project, Prapat yesterday appointed a new director-general of the Pollution Control Department.

Sirithan Pairojborriboon, who was accused of collusion in the irregularities tainting the awarding of the Klong Dan design-and-construction contract, was removed by Prapat last month, when the probe began. He is now an inspector in the PM’s Office.

His replacement is Apichai Chvajarernpun, a deputy secretary-general in the Office of Environmental Policy and Planning, who was previously criticised by environmentalists for approving the impact assessment for the Thai-Malaysian gas-pipeline project.

“I selected Apichai because he has never been involved in the project before,” Prapat said.

The system’s designer and contractor, the NVPSKG joint venture, said yesterday that it would continue construction of the plant until it received an official order from the Pollution Control Department.

“The government’s policy to halt construction will not hurt us as much as it will the state,” a source from the joint venture’s consulting company said.

“We’ve been paid Bt19 billion so far. Only Bt3 billion is left. But it’ll be very difficult to find a replacement, because the new company will have to take responsibility for a three-year test run of the whole system,” the source said.

Referring to a report that senior politicians had taken advantage of the project for personal gain, the premier said the special investigation department was in charge. Prapat said those found to have committed graft would be punished.

Two former science ministers mentioned in the report, Arthit Urairat and Yingphan Manasikarn, have told the press that all they did was legal and they are willing to help the investigation.