BMA to use prisoners for cleaning sewers from July 1

Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt met with Corrections Department director-general Aryut Sinthoppan on Tuesday to discuss the hiring of prisoners to dredge canals and drainage systems.

Previously, the department had sent a letter asking the BMA’s Drainage and Sewerage Department to hire prisoners to clean sewers. The BMA used to hire prisoners for the job for many years, but the project was suspended for two years when Aswin Kwanmuang was the governor.

The BMA will hire prisoners who have the best discipline record (“excellent”) on July 1. The city administration plans to clean 6,000 kilometres of sewers and has arranged a budget of THB15 million for the job.

However, Chadchart expected to clean only up to 500 kilometres of sewers in the first four months. He has set a goal to clean 100 kilometres of sewers as soon as possible.

Aryut said the department is hiring 1,000 “excellent” prisoners from 10 prisons for the job. Every prisoner will be fully vaccinated and will be tested with antigen test kits before they enter and leave prisons.

Prisoners are not allowed to walk in the public area and their relatives are not allowed to visit them while they are working.

Aryut said that the department would prepare food and beverages as their work benefit. Also, 70 per cent of the payment will be given to the prisoners only on the completion of their sentence.

Aryut said the department is still considering if it should hire the private sector for the job because Bangkokians have said that the prisoners had been doing a great job in cleaning sewers.