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| นิตยสาร สารคดี: ฉบับที่ ๒๑๘ เดือนเมษายน ๒๕๔๖ | ISSN 0857-1538 | |||
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| Story: Srisakra Vallibhotama | |||
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If the truth were to speak for itself, the logic-defying Klong Dan wastewater treatment project would not have come this far. But it is greed, not logic, that dictated the 2.3 billion baht blunder be located in Klong Dan. Situated between the Chao Phraya and Bang Pakong River deltas, Klong Dan is a centuries-old community well known for its abundance of mussels and delicious fish. With the right mix of fresh and saline water, this area is a perfect feeding ground for a variety of freshwater and saltwater animals. Klong Dan is the biggest producer of green mussels in the country, selling hundreds of thousands of tons a year. In addition to mussels, fish, shrimp and crabs bring significant revenues to people here. The abundance of the area is such that unemployment and lack of income hardly exist among the 30,000 Klong Dan people. And the biggest wastewater treatment plant in Southeast Asia was to be built and 525,000 cubic meters/day of industrial waste to be delivered here at Klong Dan. |
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Conceived in 1995 by the Pollution Control Department (PCD), the project was fraught with irregularities from the start. At the bidding stage, the project specifications were modified to favor NVPSKG, the winning consortium with links to leading politicians. The PCD Director General retired less than a month after signing the turn-key contract to become the consortium's advisor. The budget for the project was upped from 13.6 to 23.7 billion baht in a period of two years. And the biggest blunder of all was the procurement of land for the project. Firstly Klong Dan is 20 km away from the industrial zone, making the costs of pipes as high as 14 billion baht while the plant itself cost only 3 billion baht. Secondly the 1,903 rai of land was procured at an exorbitant price giving one company in the consortium an estimated profit of 1.4 billion baht. Lastly, a portion of the land PCD purchased is actually submerged in the sea! |
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Not only is it plagued with corruption, the treatment project was also in violation of the laws by not conducting an environmental impact assessment and a public hearing. Unfortunately the truth did not speak for itself and the project is now 90% complete. The villagers' countless attempts to raise issues with various committees could not stop the government from writing checks to the consortium. Peaceful protests also could not stop the construction and once ended up in attacks by the construction workers. Three years had passed but the villagers fought on. Some tried to delay the project by laying themselves in front of backhoes; some did an investigative research into the shady deals behind the project. The research results were widely publicized and finally the government yielded to public pressure. On 24 February 2003, the natural resources and environment minister announced that the project would be halted and those responsible would be punished. At long last, peace has returned to Klong Dan |