Sinking Village Farm

Sinking Village Farm

For almost two decades, villagers in Non Thai district, a farming community in Nakhon Ratchasima, have been pointing fingers at salt production factories for ruining their rice fields. For those peasants, the threat of salt production came more from salty wastewater and salt dust, which ruins water resources and their farmlands. But the soil subsidence early this year have only served to add more fear to these villagers

The land subsidence drew public attention. Suvit Khunkitti, the environment minister, promptly visited the site, ordering state geologists at the Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) to investigate the cause. In February, the Ministry of Industry, which granted the salt production permits, suspended the operation of three existing salt production factories in Non Thai district for seven months.

Currently, there are many salt production and salt mining factories operating in Thailand's northeastern provinces. In Nakhon Ratchasima alone there are 24 salt production factories and salt mines, three of which are in Non Thai.

But there is something unique and primitive about the salt production operations in Non Thai district. Factories there still employ a cheap technology known as "natural brine pumping", which uses water pumps to draw underground water to the surface _ the same way households and factories in Bangkok and the vicinity pump artesian water for consumption. It was natural brine pumping that led to soil subsidence, according to Pitak Ratanajaruraks, director of the Bureau of Minerals, Department of Mineral Resources. "Undoubtedly, the sinkholes were caused by salt production. When water from underground is taken away, the soil structure collapses accordingly."

● ● Government should help people urgently. Because of the problems this causes damage. People suffer. Or private agencies should solve this problem should do. Not to affect the environment and people.