Hello and welcome to the details of Nothing to sniff at: Phuket’s paradise under threat as rapid tourism fuels garbage crisis and now with the details
Nevin Al Sukari - Sana'a - A scorpion fish lies among garbage in the sea in Phuket, Thailand, November 25, 2024. — Reuters pic
PHUKET, Jan 17 — Plastic bottles and empty beer cans roll on the sea floor in the waters around Phuket in southern Thailand, while ever more garbage piles up on the island itself, a tourist hotspot better known for its pristine beaches and stunning sunsets.
In one corner of the island, trucks and tractors trundle back and forth moving piles of trash around a sprawling landfill, the final destination for much of the more than 1,000 tonnes of waste collected on Phuket every day.
In a matter of months, the landfill has grown so large it has replaced the previous serene mountain view from Vassana Toyou’s home.
“There is no life outside the house, (we) just stay at home,” she said. “The smell is very strong, you have to wear a mask.”
To cope with the stench, Vassana said she keeps her air conditioner and air purifiers switched on all the time, doubling her electricity bill.
Phuket, Thailand’s largest island, has undergone rapid development due to its tourism sector, a major driver of the Thai economy as a whole.
A drone view shows a landfill in Phuket, Thailand, November 26, 2024. — Reuters pic
Of the country’s 35.5 million foreign arrivals in 2024, about 13 million headed to the island.
“The growth of (Phuket) city has been much more rapid than it should be,” said Suppachoke Laongphet, deputy mayor of the island’s main municipality, explaining how a tourism and construction boom has pushed trash volumes above pre-Covid levels.
By the end of year, the island could be producing up to 1,400 tonnes of trash a day, overwhelming its sole landfill, he said.
Authorities are pushing ahead with plans to cut waste generation by 15 per cent in six months, expand the landfill and build a new incinerator, he said, as the island strives to become a more sustainable tourist destination.
But increasing capacity and incinerators is only part of the solution, experts say.
“If you just keep expanding more waste incinerators, I don’t think that would be just the solution,” said Panate Manomaivibool, an assistant professor in waste management at Burapha University.
“They need to focus on waste reduction and separation.” — Reuters
Tourists walk down Bangla Walking Street in Phuket, Thailand, November 22, 2024. — Reuters pic
These were the details of the news Nothing to sniff at: Phuket’s paradise under threat as rapid tourism fuels garbage crisis for this day. We hope that we have succeeded by giving you the full details and information. To follow all our news, you can subscribe to the alerts system or to one of our different systems to provide you with all that is new.
It is also worth noting that the original news has been published and is available at Malay Mail and the editorial team at AlKhaleej Today has confirmed it and it has been modified, and it may have been completely transferred or quoted from it and you can read and follow this news from its main source.
