PHUKET: Residents at a seaside community on Phuket are arguing about a plan to pump fuel to an offshore station to provide new income for local villagers in an area where dugongs are sometimes seen.
The concept had its first public airing yesterday when about 100 villagers and officials gathered at the Al Wallan Hidayah Mosque, on the shores of Chalong Bay.
Some villagers want a fuel tank holding 20,000 litres to be built alongside the mosque. Fuel from the tank would then be pumped 800 metres out to sea to a concrete platform.
The platform, operating since December last year, already has a water pipe going to it that has provided the community with 100,000 baht in income since December.
Pumping fuel out in the same way, however, has raised questions about safety. Somchai Noapai, who heads the Rawai Environment and Natural Resource Protection Volunteers, first raised the matter.
''If this pipe breaks, everything is lost,'' he told the meeting. ''The sea that is our heritage will be devastated, right on our doorsteps.''
Not all of the locals are so concerned. Even though fuel can be obtained at safer outlets nearby, they believe the project should go ahead because it will benefit the community financially.
The offshore zone is a sanctuary for the sea grass that the protected dugong feed on, and turtles have also been seen in the area.
Village leaders denied that the project was being carried out covertly until Khun Noapai raised it with local authorities. An existing fuel station is less than a kilometre away, at Chalong Pier.
Representatives from the Phuket Energy Office, the Marine Transportation Office and Natural Resources and Environment Office, as well as the local District Office and Rawai Municipality were at yesterday's meeting.
Both sides plan to do further research on the issues before meeting again.
Phuketwan advocates creation of a new authority that has the power to protect all of Phuket's coast, especially the beaches, and to ensure that local authorities never reach the stage where schemes such as this one are even considered.
The concept had its first public airing yesterday when about 100 villagers and officials gathered at the Al Wallan Hidayah Mosque, on the shores of Chalong Bay.
Some villagers want a fuel tank holding 20,000 litres to be built alongside the mosque. Fuel from the tank would then be pumped 800 metres out to sea to a concrete platform.
The platform, operating since December last year, already has a water pipe going to it that has provided the community with 100,000 baht in income since December.
Pumping fuel out in the same way, however, has raised questions about safety. Somchai Noapai, who heads the Rawai Environment and Natural Resource Protection Volunteers, first raised the matter.
''If this pipe breaks, everything is lost,'' he told the meeting. ''The sea that is our heritage will be devastated, right on our doorsteps.''
Not all of the locals are so concerned. Even though fuel can be obtained at safer outlets nearby, they believe the project should go ahead because it will benefit the community financially.
The offshore zone is a sanctuary for the sea grass that the protected dugong feed on, and turtles have also been seen in the area.
Village leaders denied that the project was being carried out covertly until Khun Noapai raised it with local authorities. An existing fuel station is less than a kilometre away, at Chalong Pier.
Representatives from the Phuket Energy Office, the Marine Transportation Office and Natural Resources and Environment Office, as well as the local District Office and Rawai Municipality were at yesterday's meeting.
Both sides plan to do further research on the issues before meeting again.
Phuketwan advocates creation of a new authority that has the power to protect all of Phuket's coast, especially the beaches, and to ensure that local authorities never reach the stage where schemes such as this one are even considered.
Something that can break will break, it is as simple as that .. don't be greedy !!!
Posted by Bjarne on August 7, 2011 07:38