Wastewater filmed flowing into sea in Na Jomtien causes temporary swimming ban, urgent meetings

Source we love Pattaya FB

Na Jomtien

A one day ban on swimming in the sea off Thailand’s famous Pattaya resort has been lifted after the condition of the seawater returned to normal with no black and foul-smelling pollutants.

However, people with allergies are warned to not swim in the sea, especially in the Na Jomtien area where the pollution problem was at its most extreme.

Sattahip district chief officer Mr. Anucha Inthasorn and officials yesterday took samples from the sea at Na Chom Thian beach for laboratory tests as local municipal officials huddled in meetings with agencies concerned to prevent the pollution problem from recurring.

The issue began earlier this weekend when a popular Thai FB page, Welovepattaya, filmed and posted the wastewater flowing into the sea in Na Jomtien on the beach.

The viral clip prompted authorities to find the cause of the incident, which had polluted a popular tourist beach and sea.

A village head, who lives near the sluice gate of the tunnel on Na Jom Thian Soi 8, told Nation TV that up to 90 percent of the discharge comes from wastewater from household use, restaurants, and hotels in the municipality. If there is no water to dilute the waste, the tunnel becomes choked with garbage – which is flushed out by heavy rains like earlier this weekend.

The tunnel wastewater has no proper treatment before being discharged into the sea, he said.

Pralong Damrongthai, the Pollution Control Department chief, said the incident was the responsibility of local organizations, and the problem was partly due to the lack of a wastewater treatment system.

He suggested that the Pattaya Municipality help deal with the problem, while the department sent its officials to inspect the wastewater in Na Jom Thian to identify its sources.

The Sattahip district has also collected samples from the tunnel on Soi 8 as well as the sea in front of it for further tests water quality.

Source: We Love Pattaya FB Page, The Nation,

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Adam Judd
Mr. Adam Judd is the Co-owner of TPN Media since December 2017. He is originally from Washington D.C., America, but has also lived in Dallas, Sarasota, and Portsmouth. His background is in retail sales, HR, and operations management, and has written about news and Thailand for many years. He has lived in Pattaya for over nine years as a full-time resident, is well known locally and been visiting the country as a regular visitor for over a decade. His full contact information, including office contact information, can be found on our Contact Us page below. Stories please e-mail Editor@ThePattayanews.com About Us: https://thepattayanews.com/about-us/ Contact Us: https://thepattayanews.com/contact-us/