PRACHIN BURI, Thailand – Prachin Buri industrial officials have collected six water samples for laboratory testing after rainbow-colored oil stains were found floating on floodwater near a landfill and alternative fuel factory in Sri Maha Phot district.
The inspection was launched after photographs and information about the suspected contamination were shared on social media. Officials from the Prachin Buri Provincial Industrial Office were sent to the area under Section 37 of the Factory Act to inspect and monitor the facilities. Officials surveyed areas surrounding the factories and found oil-like stains floating on the floodwater, with a rainbow-colored appearance matching the reports shared online. Two samples of contaminated water were collected for analysis.
Officials then inspected a Category 105 factory operating a landfill and a Category 106 factory producing alternative fuel. Floodwater had entered the factory areas, prompting officials to collect four additional samples, including leachate from the Category 105 facility and contaminated water near waste-storage tanks at the Category 106 facility.
A total of six water samples have been sent for scientific analysis to determine whether pollutants or other contaminants are present and whether they could affect the surrounding environment. Officials also filed a complaint at Sri Maha Phot Police Station and sent all six samples to the Eastern Industrial Pollution Research and Warning Centre of the Department of Industrial Works in Chonburi. Authorities will await the laboratory results before determining further action under the law.
