Director-General of the Department of Factories leads the Industrial Affairs Committee to visit the “Phachi Warehouse, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province” to approve the first phase of 6.9 million baht to manage waste within 2567.
On November 21, 2023 at 10:00 a.m., Mr. Chulaphong Thawisri, Director-General of the Department of Industrial Works, attended a meeting on complaints about the illegal dumping of chemicals that are classified as hazardous substances in Phachi District, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province, together with the House of Representatives Industrial Affairs Committee and relevant agencies, chaired by Mr. Chusak Maenthim, Vice Chairman of the Committee, at the meeting room on the 2nd floor of the Phachi District Office, Suwannason Road, Phachi Subdistrict, Phachi District, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province, to clarify information, answer questions, and support information on the impact on the people’s suffering, as well as discuss solutions to the problems caused by the illegal dumping of chemical waste. He also visited 5 old warehouses without business licenses, which were secretly storing various types of hazardous chemicals, approximately 4,000 tons, located in Phachi District, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province.
The Director-General of the Department of Industrial Works revealed that the Department of Industrial Works (DIW) oversees the management of industrial waste, classifying factories into 2 types: Waste Generators (WG) and Processors (WP). They must apply for permission and carry out operations related to waste or unused materials as prescribed by the DDI. Responsible for granting permits to factories in industrial estates, Bangkok area and non-factory operators. The Provincial Industrial Office will be responsible for granting permits for factories located in that province, totaling approximately 63,000 factories nationwide . Currently, there are only a few factories that do not comply with the law, causing problems affecting people and the environment, and destroying the image of the industrial sector.
In the case of the warehouse that secretly stored many types of hazardous chemicals without a business license, resulting in no factory, the Industrial Promotion Department used its authority under the Hazardous Substances Act B.E. 2535 and related laws to seize the chemical waste and hand it over to the police on February 27, 2023, and cleaned up the chemical-contaminated wastewater that leaked in and around the warehouse, with cooperation from the Environmental Management Industry Group, Federation of Thai Industries, to prevent the spread to public water sources in the community on March 24, 2023, as well as taking legal action to link the offense to the owner of the chemical waste. During the legal process, the law stipulates that the warehouse owner, as the unauthorized possessor of hazardous substances, must be initially responsible. The Industrial Promotion Department therefore issued an order for the warehouse owner to remove all hazardous waste and properly dispose of it according to academic principles, and to prosecute the owner of the chemical waste. However , the warehouse owner was unable to dispose of it within the specified time, so the government had to take action instead.
Progress of the work of the RTNAD Prepared a budget request for fiscal year 2024 , approved in the amount of 6,900,000 baht, which will be used to remove the chemical waste for treatment. The first phase will proceed with urgent matters first, to be completed by 2024, along with requesting an allocation of the central budget for emergency or necessary reserve funds to remove and treat all chemical waste in the next phase. It is expected that the budget will not be less than 20 million baht. At the same time, relevant agencies from both the public and private sectors are integrating cooperation to solve problems and prevent emergencies that may occur, including setting measures to provide assistance to the public.
“These problems must be urgently resolved. People are suffering every minute. The government is not indifferent, but the procedures must be under legal regulations. The Industrial Promotion Department is trying to resolve them intensively, such as requesting the establishment of an industrial fund to provide a budget ready for immediate action to manage the environment and safety resulting from factory operations and provide compensation to those affected, including increasing legal penalties to create more fear of wrongdoing. This is to prevent similar problems from occurring in other areas, aiming to maintain the way of life, build confidence in investment, promote community development, and create sustainable development of the country’s industries,” said Mr. Chulapong.
For the officials who participated in the discussion and visited the area this time, they included Ms. Jinda Techasarin, Director of the Industrial Waste Management Division, Mr. Prasom Damrongphong, Director of the Factory Pollution Research and Warning Division, Mr. Ekabut Uttamapong, Acting Expert Scientist, Factory Safety Technology Promotion Division, Legal Division, Factory Supervision Standard System Development Division, Factory Permit Service Division 1, Industrial Promotion Division. Along with the House of Representatives’ Committee on Industry, Mr. Kokchai Chairasmikul, Deputy Governor of Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province, Mr. Thira Kaewpimol, Industry Officer of Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province, Pol. Maj. Gen. Watcharin Phusit, Commander of the Natural Resources and Environmental Crime Suppression Division (NRECD), Ms. Phanit Ratsuk, Director of the Pollution Inspection Division, Pollution Control Department, Ms. Apisara Ket-in, Phachi District Chief, Dr. Yuthana Wanphoklang, Public Health Officer of Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province, Mr. Sken Chanphudungsuk, Mayor of Phachi Subdistrict Municipality, officials from the Office of Natural Resources and Environment of Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province, officials from the Ecological Restoration Foundation, and relevant officials.
#Department of Industrial Works #Department of Industrial Works #DIW #MIND #Ministry of Industry #Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Provincial Industry #Factory Act #Hazardous Substances Act #Industrial waste #Hazardous waste #Pachi warehouse #Industrial Commission