Authorities told to tackle water pollution to prevent deaths of aquatic animals
Dr Nantarika Chansue, head of the Veterinary Medical Aquatic Animal Research Centre at Chulalongkorn University, said on October 12 it was too late to do anything about the recent deaths of giant freshwater stingrays but authorities could work to restore the water quality in the Mae Klong River. Since the end of September, there have been several reports of dead stingrays being found in multiple locations along Mae Klong River and its tributaries in Samut Songkhram. As of the latest count, 51 dead stingrays have been found since last month. “I can’t help but think that unless the prime minister orders relevant agencies to tackle this problem, there will be not be an urgent war room set up. Right now there is very low chance of determining the source of pollution and we should prioritise relief and prevention,” Nantarika said, “It just like our home is on fire – we should extinguish the fire first, before finding the cause.”
