BANGKOK, Thailand – Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn inspected oil contamination in a drainage system near Chuea Phloeng Road and beneath the Rama III elevated roadway in Bangkok on September 9, ordering urgent containment and round-the-clock safety monitoring. Phiphat directed agencies to locate the source of the leak and prevent further environmental or community impacts.
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA), Ministry of Energy, Pollution Control Department, and private-sector specialists have blocked sections of the drainage system, deployed oil-absorbent booms, and pumped out contaminated water. About 22,000 liters of residual oil have been recovered for proper treatment and disposal, while only a thin oil film remains, and petroleum odors have decreased.
Officials are monitoring flammable vapor levels around the clock and keeping firefighting resources on standby. No evacuation of nearby communities is currently required, while the road around the work site is expected to remain closed for two to three days as inspections of the oil pipeline network continue.
The BMA, led by Governor Chadchart Sittipunt, has established a joint command center, with the Khlong Toei district director serving as incident commander. A private oil company has been assigned primary responsibility for addressing the problem and determining its cause, while authorities confirmed that contaminated material collected from the site will not be discharged into public waterways. (NNT)
