Increasing concern among farmers about Kok River contamination

Farmers in the Kok river basin in Chiang Rai province are complaining that their livelihoods have been seriously affected by heavy metals discharged by unregulated mines in Shan state of Myanmar and that their fruits and vegetables are hard to sell because consumers are worried about the health risk from contaminants.

Komchit Taerod, a villager of Ban Nong Klauy in Doi Luang district, said that they used to grow sweet corn for a company in Chiang Mai, but the company recently stopped asking them to grow sweet corns because the produce was found to be contaminated with heavy metals.

As for selling the corn for animal feed, he said that the price has been very low, adding that, if the heavy metals continue to flow unchecked into the river, no one will buy their corn or the price will be further suppressed.

He suggested that the government should come to their help.

Pranom Aunrat, a village head of Ban Pan Suek in Doi Luang district, said that, although vegetables grown in her farm are edible and marketable, she does not know if the river will become more contaminated and the vegetables grown there will become inedible. Worse still, she said that there are no other water sources.

Young Phrommuang, chair of the Agricultural Council, said the most worrisome concern of farmers is that the prices of their produce will fall further. They want officials from the Land Development to come to check the quality of water and soil.

Udom Chantawong, chair of Chiang Rai Agricultural Council, claimed that up to 20,800 hectares of farmland in 9 districts have been affected.

Dr. Suebsakul Kitnukorn, a lecturer at Mae Fah Luang University, said that the Ministry of Agriculture does not have set regulations or a fund to compensate the affected farmers, nor does the ministry have a fixed plan for how to deal with the contaminants in the Kok River.