Residents in Nakhon Laung district in Ayutthaya province have asked the Central Administrative Court to withdraw the operating permits given to 51 coal and fertiliser companies and 26 piers on the Pasak River.
Both sides of the Pasak River in Ayutthaya’s Nakhon Luang district are lined with factories and warehouses belonging to the coal industry. Locals say they have to live with a blanket of smog in the area. Pattanapong Hirunard
They argue they have failed to protect the communities' health and environment from the negative impacts of their activities and as such breach the law.
The group of 81 residents, along with environment advocates from the Stop Global Warming Association, led by Srisuwan Janya, yesterday filed a complaint against 14 state agencies.
They include the Marine Department, the Department of Industrial Works, the Department of Pollution Control and the National Environment Board.
The residents say the agencies failed to enforce the law to protect their health and mitigate environmental impacts stemming from the businesses.
The agencies, they said, also ignored their duty to withdraw the permits, despite residents' requests, even though the companies were causing environmental harm.
Mr Srisuwan, president of the Stop Global Warming Association, said residents have been suffering from poor environmental conditions and the health impacts of coal transportation.
"Dust from coal is dispersed into the air as there is no good system to prevent dispersal into the environment,'' he said, adding many large piles of coal are left on various sites without plastic sheets to prevent coal dust circulating.
Mr Srisuwan said the situation is worsening, and is particularly bad on windy days.
He said the locals were suffering from respiratory diseases and skin irritation as a result of prolonged exposure to the coal particles.
A number of schools near the coal storage sites have also reported staff and students coming down with respiratory ailments. He said they have battled an unhealthy environment for over a decade.
Residents are also being affected by collapsing plots of land caused by heavy vehicles carrying coal and fertiliser to support industrial activities in the province.
"In some cases, locals have relocated their houses to avoid possible collapse. We want the court to issue immediate measures to help relieve the plight of residents as the legal procedures take a long time," Mr Srisuwan said.
The court is considering whether to accept the case or not.