According to Hat Noppharat Thara–Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park officials, marine officers will step up their work collecting floating rubbish around the popular Koh Phi Phi beach, which has been swept in by the monsoon season weather cycle.
The park was spurred into action after Facebook posts by Assoc Prof Thon Thamrongnawasawat, a noted marine environment academic and lecturer at Kasetsart University, went viral. The posts depict garbage accumulating off Koh Phi Phi Leh, one of a string of Phi Phi islands and a popular dive spot.
Department of National Parks, Wildlife, and Plant Conservation (DNP) director-general Atthapol Charoenchansa on Monday received a report from Yutthaphong Damsrisuk, chief of Hat Noppharat Thara–Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park, about the Facebook posts.
The academic snapped the shots while he was on a snorkelling trip to observe coral bleaching in the area.
In the posts, Mr Thon expressed concern that the litter would damage corals, which are already vulnerable to environmental degradation.
Mr Yutthaphong said the litter had not come from tourists but was swept into shore at the national park by the seasonal southwest monsoon moving towards the Andaman Sea.
He said that the wind had carried litter from several water sources, such as canals, rivers and communities, to accumulate in the national park's sea area.
Mr Yutthaphong noted that the phenomenon usually occurs offshore in smaller patches from May to July.
He added that the national park's staff collect marine litter every day, and the administration will immediately send more staff to perform the duty at any location where rubbish is found to be accumulating in large quantities.
