Pollution and waste
Water pollution
Island of rubbish: Koh Samui’s pollution problem remains unsolved
No one can argue with the appeal of visiting Thailand’s exotic, tropical islands. With their glistening palm trees, crystal-clear waters, and powdery, white sands, a trip down south is what many yearn to cross off their bucket lists. One of Thailand’s most iconic islands is that ...
The Thaiger
Fishermen call for river pollution to be addressed
Members of a large fishing community in Naxab village, Naxaithong district, Vientiane, are appealing to authorities to address the problem of farms dumping animal waste in the Khon River, which they say is creating a threat to fishing. The polluted river affects some 1,648 people who ...
Times Reporters
Plastic gets to the oceans through over 1,000 rivers
The problem with plastic waste just got more complicated—and so did the effort to stanch its flow into the world’s oceans. Rivers are the primary conduits for plastic waste to the seas. In 2017, two separate groups of scientists concluded that 90 percent of river-borne plastic ...
LAURA PARKER
Trash trap gets to work removing plastic waste from Vietnam's Red River
Removing the vast amounts of plastic waste already polluting our oceans is going to need tackling in a number of ways. But the flow of plastic from rivers also needs to be stopped, and that’s what Vietnam’s trash traps are designed to do. They may not ...
Paul Ridden
A floating community in Siem Reap adopting plastic free approach to combat pollution
A floating community in Tonle Sap Lake in Keo Por commune, Puok district of Siem Reap province is aware of environmental impact caused by plastic wastes – thanks to their participation in a campaign to clear the lake from plastic. In an interview with journalists, Mr. ...
Lim Nary – AKP
Open letter to Aung San Suu Kyi to address water contamination issue
Your Excellency; First of all, I am Saw Paul Sein Twa, the Chairperson of the Salween Peace Park in Mutraw District, Karen State, Kawthooeli, Eastern Myanmar, which recently was awarded the 2020 Equator Prize. I work closely with local Indigenous Karen people and walk with them as ...
Saw Paul Sein Twa
Japan donates $3 million to fight marine plastic waste
The Japanese government will provide a $3 million grant to help Cambodia fight marine plastic pollution and promote a responsible cycle of using, reusing and recycling all forms of plastic waste. The grant will fund an anti-waste project to be implemented by the Ministry of Environment, ...
Nov Sivutha
Polluted Mekong Delta river kills fish, contaminates water sources
A section of the Cai Lon River in Hau Giang Province has turned black and foul-smelling, killing fish and contaminating local water sources. For the past several days Ly Minh Lam, a resident of Long My Town in the Mekong Delta province, has been unable to ...
Cuu Long
Asia's plastic-polluted rivers pose a problem for Australia. So scientists are turning to drones
It’s one of 10 rivers in the world that collectively contribute up to 95 per cent of plastic in the ocean. Running for more than 4,000 kilometres, the Mekong River flows through six countries, starting in China and making its way through Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia ...
Amy Bainbridge
Ridding the Mekong of Plastic Poison
Plastic waste in the world’s oceans is raising international alarm. Recent research shows that 90 % of the plastic that ends up in the oceans is delivered by just 10 river systems. The Mekong River that winds through Southeast Asia is one of them. The ...