Residents Warned Over Fuel In Chiang Mai Canal

[Flashermac]

A MUNICIPALITY authority has warned Chiang Mai residents against using water from a public canal after it was contaminated by aviation fuel.

 

Some of the 10,000 litres of aviation fuel that leaked from a PTT pipeline at Chiang Mai Airport late on Saturday night spilled into the neighbouring Mae Kha Canal. Though the incident has not disrupted flights, it is affecting the local environment.

 

Pa Daed Municipality's mayor Rungpreecha Punkaew said yesterday that the smell of oil in the area was quite strong and facemasks had been provided to people living along the canal.

 

He went on to say that people in the area had already been warned not to take water from the canal, which is used to irrigate local farmland and for fishing.

 

"They have also been told not |to light a fire nearby or allow |any sparks to fall into the canal," he said.

 

A fire broke out over the weekend after a fisherman carelessly threw a burning cigarette into the fuel-contaminated canal.

 

"We are closely monitoring the situation," he said, adding that relevant officials would do their best to try and prevent a reoccurrence.

 

Rungpreecha said the municipality had set up a team to investigate and evaluate environmental damage near the canal.

 

"We will later take legal action against the PTT for environmental damage," he said.

 

Meanwhile, PTT has launched a clean-up operation with the help of 50 soldiers from the 33rd Military Circle.

 

"The operation is progressing quickly," Thaweesak Kunacheewa yesterday said in his capacity as operational manager of PTT oil storage in Chiang Mai.

 

He believed the operation would be completed before nightfall.

 

"We will try to minimise the environmental impact," he said.

 

Thaweesak said PTT also wanted to apologise to anybody affected by the leak.

 

Last year, a sizeable amount of oil leaked from an offshore pipeline |of a PTT subsidiary affecting islands off the coast of Rayong province. Local fishermen were also affected. Several local tour operators have been trying to seek compensation from the oil firm.

 

 

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[Coss]

"Though the incident has not disrupted flights"

 

So the flights can still use the canal then?