Thailand's industrial plants urged to follow 3Rs policy

BANGKOK, April 22 (TNA) - The Thai Ministry of Industry has sought cooperation from industrial plants across the country to follow its 3Rs policy in order to save water consumption and prevent the shortage of water supply, as well as to protect the environment during the dry season currently. Thongchai Chawalitpichaet, Director General of the ministry's Department of industrial works, told journalists of the move on April 21, stating that the 3Rs policy comprises of "reduce, reuse and recycle". Thongchai explained that the policy is aimed to help enhance the efficiency of the water management nationwide to the maximum level, acknowledging that his department has also sent teams of officials to inspect and give advice to industrial factories across the country on proper approaches of water treatment for their reuse and reclycling processes. The senior official warned that factories found to have breached the legal policy will have their industrial plants closed permanently if there is no improvement or solution witnessed for a certain period of time and will also be prosecuted, asking people to also provide tip-offs or report suspicious acts of industrial plants to his department at its hotline, 1564. According to the senior official, there are now about 50,000 cubic meters of water totally at all Thai dams and reservoirs, or 59 per cent of their full capacity on average, 72 per cent of which are estimated to be used in the domestic industrial sector until next month, followed by the farm sector at about 62 per cent and the household sector at about 11 per cent respectively, before this year's rainy season comes with normal downpours, expected in late May. (TNA)