Pattaya-
The Pattaya City Mayor visited the Pattaya City beach today to inspect two drains located near Walking Street that caused a controversy on social media yesterday.
The Mayor, Sonthaya Khunpluem, was referring to a post on social media that went viral on several Facebook pages and groups with the above photo, claiming that the material being released into Pattaya Bay was wastewater, such as sewage, without clear proof. The photo was taken by an anonymous concerned citizen and then sent to major Facebook groups such as We Love Pattaya, stated the Mayor.
Mayor Khunpluem told the Associated Thai press that these claims, which hurt the image of Pattaya, were false and strongly distorted after inspecting the area with a team of reporters and other City Council members.
Mayor Khunpluem explained that Pattaya City had suffered severe storms over the past several days which caused sporadic flooding throughout the Pattaya area.
According to the Mayor, the drains connect to a small pumping substation which connects to storm drains from the Nongprue subdistrict. The area in question is not part of the waste water treatment system which is located at the Boon Kanchana Ram Wastewater treatment plant as well as a secondary location at the Nong Yai Wastewater treatment plant.
The Mayor stated that the water coming from the drains was regularly tested by the city and was one hundred percent rainwater and not wastewater from sewage drains and that there is no crossover between the two systems.
Mayor Khunpluem also said the water in Pattaya Bay as well as around the storm drains was regularly tested by Pattaya City. Officials, according to the Mayor, tested this afternoon and verified that the water quality was safe and did not contain any sewage or wastewater. He reiterated that the dark color was simply heavy sediment washed out to sea during the recent storms but did not cause any public health issues.
The beaches are set to re-open for the first time in two months on Monday, the Mayor added, and today’s inspection of the pipes and testing of water verified that the area was safe for those who wished to visit.
