PRACHINBURI, Thailand – The Ministry of Industry has ordered the immediate suspension of operations at a local recycling factory after industrial waste leachate and oily slicks were detected in floodwaters surrounding a community in Prachin Buri province. Following concerns raised by residents in Sri Maha Phot district, Industry Minister Varawut Silpa-archa ordered a special task force, alongside the Department of Industrial Works and provincial officials, to inspect the area and trace the source of rainbow-colored sheens floating on the water surface.
Industrial waste leachate and contaminants were seen discharging from the facility’s landfill pit and treatment areas, where floodwaters had reached up to three meters above neighboring rice fields. Authorities subsequently invoked Section 39 of the Factory Act to order an immediate halt to plant operations.
The Prachin Buri Provincial Industry Office ordered the company to clarify facility conditions, outline containment measures, and fully cap all landfill pits to prevent further spread. Officials collected four waste water samples inside the facility and two samples outside the factory for laboratory testing. Nonthanat Bunnag, spokesperson for the ministry’s special task force, said emergency response crews installed oil booms, deployed surfactants, and used absorbent pads to contain and recover the floating oil. Sandbag barriers were also built around the leak source above the flood level. A secondary inspection and damage restoration phase will begin once flood levels recede, officials said. (TNA)
