A new wastewater treatment plant has opened in Patong, Thailand, in an effort to keep the Patong Bay free from seaweed.
The plant was built by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment’s Wastewater Management Authority. 13 million baht ($348,127.70) came from the Danish International Development Assistance fund. The plant uses a constructed wetland to filter wastewater before flowing into the sea.
WMA director Sarawut Srisakuna told The Phuket Gazette that after the tsunami, the Danish ambassador contacted him to offer help to improve wastewater treatment in the area by using “subsurface wetland” technology that was developed in Denmark.
The WMA decided to use land next to an existing sewage plant to build the second treatment system in order to prevent the onslaught of seaweed that has affected Patong Beach during the past few high seasons.
Most of the water treated, 70%, comes from Patong, but the remaining 30% comes from Klong Pakbang and Klong Paklak. The water from the other areas contains high concentrations of organic wastes and chemical substances, which have nutrients that seaweed feeds on during the high season.
The new system has pumps, but it will primarily rely on natural filtration.
Source: The Phuket Gazette
