THB82.5 billion set aside to clean Bangkok’s Saen Saeb canal over next 10 years
The Cabinet on Tuesday agreed to earmark 82.5 billion baht to rehabilitate Bangkok’s Saen Saeb canal over the next decade (2021-2031). The proposal for the canal’s rehabilitation was made by the Office of National Water Resources (ONWR).
Of the funds earmarked, 81.4 per cent will come from the national budget, 3.5 per cent from funds allocated for Bangkok and 15.1 per cent from public-private investments.
The aim is to clean the canal of toxic waste dumped by factories and garbage from canal-side communities.
In 2020, 807,672 cubic meters of untreated wastewater was released into the Saen Saeb canal and its tributaries daily bringing the average biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) to 12.2mg per litre.
BOD stands for the amount of oxygen required to decompose organic matter and readings above 8mg/l represent severe pollution.
Wastewater dumped into the Saen Saeb canal ends up in Chachoengsao’s Bang Pakong River.
