Tuesday April 9, 2024
Bangkok Post —
The water quality in a stretch of the Mekong River along the Thailand-Laos border was still safe on Monday following Wednesday’s incident in Laos, in which a lorry leaked sulphuric acid into one of the river’s tributaries. Authorities will continue monitoring the water quality until Friday.
Deputy Prime Minister and chairman of the Thai National Mekong Committee Somsak Thepsutin revealed on Monday that he had instructed the Office of the National Water Resources to monitor the river for contamination. He feared that the leaked chemical substance would affect residents of both countries.
He said the Thai National Mekong Committee has been cooperating actively with the Mekong River Commission Secretariat (MRCS) and the Lao government to deal with the matter.
According to Mr Somsak, the incident occurred in Laos’s Luang Prabang, which is about 340 kilometres from Loei province in Thailand. The authority expected that the substance would reach Loei via the river in about three days.