CHIANG RAI, May 27 (TNA) – Arsenic contamination has been detected in the Kok and Sai rivers along the Thai-Myanmar border, with levels in some areas reaching 19 times safety standards.
Gold and rare earth mining in Myanmar is widely suspected as the likely cause of the pollution. Academics from Mae Fah Luang University reported samples from the Sai River in some areas showing arsenic at 0.19 milligrams per liter.
This poses a significant threat to downstream health and livelihoods, particularly in Thailand’s Mae Sai border town.
Recent flash floods have intensified concerns that major deluges, like last year’s devastating event, could spread toxic, arsenic-contaminated water and mud into homes.
In response, flood prevention efforts are escalating. This includes new telemetry stations in Myanmar providing four-hour advance warnings and a 4-kilometer flood barrier under construction by military engineers.
Despite these efforts, heavy Myanmar rains recently caused the Sai to overflow through unfinished defenses, inundating Mae Sai communities with water and mud, reigniting fears of both severe flooding and arsenic exposure. -819 (TNA)
