Environmental Issues of Southeast Asia - Research Paper Example

?Environmental Issues (Environmental Protection, Specific Industries, etc) of Southeast Asia Table of Contents Environmental Issues (Environmental Protection, Specific Industries, etc) of Southeast Asia 1 Table of Contents 2 Introduction 3 Long-Established and Continuing Bilateral Relationships 4 The Influx of Japanese Companies into Thailand 5 The Present Environmental Problems in Thailand 7 Water Pollution Problems 8 Air Pollution Problems 10 Other Environmental Problems 12 Pollution Control 13 Conclusion 14 References 15 Bibliography 17 Introduction The key issue and concern in regard to the policy making in this era is to encourage liberal business activities and simultaneously taking enough measures to defend and conserve the natural resources. It has been already confirmed by numerous researches that international business activities facilitates in achieving economic development which also proves to be advantageous for other contributing countries as well. However, with the development in an economy, the requirement to protect the quality of the environment for that particular country also augments. Thus, it can be observed that there exists a complex association between the environment of a country and its international business activities. It has also been observed that industries tend to move their business operations to the developing countries from the already developed ones. From a realistic point of view, companies find developed nations to enforce stern policies regarding their environment compared to the developing countries (Mukhopadhyay, “Impact on the Environment of Thailand’s Trade with OECD Countries”). Thailand is being lately considered to be among the rapidly developing economies among all the countries in South-East Asia. The standard annual pace of economic development between the periods of 1980 to 2004 has been around 7% at an average. This economic development has been attributed to the non-interventionist trade policy of that country which did act as the chief force and foundation stone for this development. There has been a noteworthy boost in the exports as well as in the imports of the country (Mukhopadhyay, “Impact on the Environment of Thailand’s Trade with OECD Countries”). Long-Established and Continuing Bilateral Relationships The issue of environmental pollution is becoming a vital concern and is developing to be a problem especially in the city areas of Thailand. The history of amicable relation and exchange of traditions between Japan and Thailand dates back to above 600 years. Therefore, it becomes apparent that there exists a strong relationship of trading activities between these two countries. The mutual association between them is getting stronger and closer over the years, especially in the economic front. This can be attributed to the flourishing business of Japan and its extended investments as well as the continuous shifting of technological skill and expertise into Thailand. Japan is also said to be the largest provider of Official Development Assistance (ODA) towards Thailand. In regard to direct foreign investment in Thailand, Japan continues remaining to be the biggest foreign contributor in that country. However, a dip in the quantity of invested capital was recorded owing to the Asian economic as well as currency crisis in the year 1997. This close association among the two countries has also triggered the increase in the amount of visitors from Japan to Thailand. The intention of travel has surpassed the commercial requirement and expanded into exploring places of interest in the country of Thailand. Due to this reason, quite a significant amount of Japanese residents can be found in the various parts of Thailand, majority of who are supposed to be the employees of Japanese organizations. All the above mentioned factors are escalating the population of that country as a result of which there has been a significant boost in the modes of transportation in that country. This augmentation in the transportation forms is triggering the environmental troubles particularly air pollution in the cities of Thailand. The jamming of the roads due to this increased transportation modes are furthermore accelerating the problem (Srisurapanon & Wanichapun, “Environmental Policies in Thailand and their Effects”; Ministry of the Environment, “Overview of Environmental Issues and Environmental Conservation Practices in Thailand”). The Influx of Japanese Companies into Thailand The strong and close association of the two countries has resulted into remarkable expansion amid numerous companies from Japan to Thailand. Practically, all the important Japanese corporations have their branches in the form of joint-ventures as well as subsidiaries present in Thailand (Srisurapanon & Wanichapun, “Environmental Policies in Thailand and their Effects”; Ministry of the Environment, “Overview of Environmental Issues and Environmental Conservation Practices in Thailand”). In the past, mostly the manufacturing organizations of Japan made their expansions in Thailand. But over the years apart from manufacturing organizations, a broad assortment of industries has marked their presence in Thailand which involves finance as well as insurance, distribution companies, construction as well as civil engineering companies and also transportation companies. In-spite of the presence of such a broad variety of companies, the manufacturing organizations continue to dominate the industries of Thailand. Therefore, it is evident that these manufacturing companies contribute largely towards the environmental pollution of Thailand. This is because of the fact that dangerous wastes and harmful releases are generated from the manufacturing organizations. The political stability, adequate supply of labor, policies catching the attention of foreign investors and the strong infrastructures of the country has attracted numerous Japanese companies and other foreign companies as well. In the recent years and over a period of time it was observed that the manufacturing organizations functioning in Thailand had shifted from principally producing textiles along with other material processing field to the segments of electrical as well as electronic. A fresh trend or aspect which is being experienced is the augmenting transfer of manufacturers of comparatively small-scale parts into Thailand. This is taking place due to the establishment of production plants in Thailand by the valued corporate clients of the respective manufacturers (Srisurapanon & Wanichapun, “Environmental Policies in Thailand and their Effects”; Ministry of the Environment, “Overview of Environmental Issues and Environmental Conservation Practices in Thailand”). The fast pace of growth in the economy of Thailand has introduced with it a wide spectrum of issues related to the environmental pollution of the country. This is becoming to be a significant reason of concern for the people. The government considers these issues to be of immense magnitude and recognizes the importance and urgency to deal with them effectively. In relation to these problems, the government of Thailand has confirmed its assurance to deal with such environmental issues. In the year of 1992, the environmental laws were made stringent in his context. Along with this, many Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) are also getting enthusiastically involved with the issue and taking essential measures as well as spreading awareness in order to bring down the intensity of pollution (Srisurapanon & Wanichapun, “Environmental Policies in Thailand and their Effects”; Ministry of the Environment, “Overview of Environmental Issues and Environmental Conservation Practices in Thailand”). The Present Environmental Problems in Thailand The rapid industrialization and the economic development is triggering and accelerating environmental pollution to a great extent. The environment of the country is in a critical and unhealthy state. The country was said to be the pioneer among the other nations of Southeast Asia which encouraged a policy that was in favor of industrialization and was also reliant on supporting foreign involvement in the form of investment. This led to the quick development in the economy but to some extent this development was attained at the expense of numerous issues relating to the environmental pollution. Different parts of the cities, where most of the industries are situated are experiencing quite grave air pollution owing to concentration of the industries. This has been triggered from the releases of motor vehicles and also disposing off the industrial as well as household wastes into the water is promoting serious water pollution on the other hand. In addition, owing to the dearth of treatment services, the augmenting quantity of dangerous substances in the form of wastes produced by the flourishing industrial operations is frequently being discarded without even treating them appropriately. Hence, there is an immediate requirement to construct treatment services. The absence of such facilities would give rise to pollution in the environment owing to the harmful desecrates would develop and grow to be the most horrible environmental problem of Thailand in the coming days (Srisurapanon & Wanichapun, “Environmental Policies in Thailand and their Effects”; Ministry of the Environment, “Overview of Environmental Issues and Environmental Conservation Practices in Thailand”). Water Pollution Problems Water pollution is developing to be a quite severe problem witnessed by Thailand presently. The environmental curriculum carried out by the government give maximum importance to this problem of water pollution. The densely populated parts of the country and the industry concentrated areas experience serious problems of water pollution. The issue of river contamination from the industrial as well as household dumping of wastes in such parts of the country is quite common. Dumping of wastes into the river actively participates in spreading pollution rapidly all along the course of the river making the water unacceptable for both agricultural as well as drinking purposes. This is also affecting the marine life as the pollution is jeopardizing the existence of fishes as well (Ministry of the Environment, “Overview of Environmental Issues and Environmental Conservation Practices in Thailand”). The other source of water pollution is the leaking of heavy metals into the river which is also growing to be a serious concern. In some of the rivers, high levels of concentration of mercury and other different heavy metals has been recorded which has proved to be violating the specified standards. Concentration of such harmful metals and chemicals is expected to pose a grave danger to the ecosystems. Furthermore, it has been experienced by the relevant authorities that majority of the water pollution is being caused from the untreated wastes disposed from the household (Srisurapanon & Wanichapun, “Environmental Policies in Thailand and their Effects”). The wastewater disposed from households has been indentified to be the key basis of water pollution and thus a strict check is being kept on the water quality presently. However, there is lack of monitoring of the industrial wastes and other different heavy metals because of the deficiency of highly developed equipment as well as techniques (Environmental Protection Department, “Review of the International Water Resource Management Policies and Actions and the Latest Practice in their Environmental Evaluation and Strategic Environmental Assessment Final Report”). Air Pollution Problems The cities of Thailand including Bangkok are experiencing harsh air pollution troubles. The pollution in the air to a certain extent can be credited to the industrial activities but most of it is caused by the motor vehicle releases, which has been witnessed to significantly increase in the recent times. During the year 1998, a heavy growth in the motor vehicles and motorcycles was recorded in the cities of Thailand especially in Bangkok. But a slight decline was observed due to the commencement of the economic as well as currency crisis. The rising noteworthy problem is said to be the problem of dust which appears because of the motor vehicles. It is a common fact that the quality of the air is not maintained according to the specifications. The chief reason for this air contamination is said to be the amount of government tasks like the various construction activities which were done for the reason of Asian Games which was organized in Bangkok (Srisurapanon & Wanichapun, “Environmental Policies in Thailand and their Effects”; Ministry of the Environment, “Overview of Environmental Issues and Environmental Conservation Practices in Thailand”). The pollutants in the air have been increasing and have already arrived at a grave level which is threatening the general health of the people like affecting their respiratory organs. The situation has been controlled only in terms of reduction in concentration of lead in the air which has been possible with the implementation of unleaded gasoline. Apart from this, the problem of air contamination still keeps on to exist (De Souza, “Household Transportation Use and Urban Air Pollution”). Waste Problems The untreated wastes disposed off by the industrial segment are posing to be a severe threat. The business activities in Thailand are mounting and along with the problem of dangerous waste are also augmenting. Most of the wastes are solid which includes heavy metals and even waste oil contributes further to this problem. Presently there are only two treatment plants for treating the wastes. These treatment facilities need to be increased immediately in an attempt to have control over the problem, as it is becoming hazardous for human health. The absence of sufficient treatment facilities is promoting the disposing of dangerous wastes in Thailand. In the year 1995, a significant number of human deaths were recorded owing to the discarding of dangerous wastes which released toxic gases (Srisurapanon & Wanichapun, “Environmental Policies in Thailand and their Effects”; Ministry of the Environment, “Overview of Environmental Issues and Environmental Conservation Practices in Thailand”). Other Environmental Problems Apart from the above mentioned problems there are also other environmental issues like destruction of forests, deforestation as well as soil erosion. These environmental problems are also affecting the ecosystems of Thailand. However, the noise and unpleasant smells resulting from the business operations of the various organizations remain to be the prime reason of concern. The government of Thailand in order to check the noise pollution has not set proper specifications. Policies along with regulations are required to be implemented by the government in order to bring down the noise pollution especially in the factories. The situation with the unpleasant smells is also somewhat similar. The government has not set any regulatory specifications in order to check this issue as a result of which this problem is increasing significantly (Srisurapanon & Wanichapun, “Environmental Policies in Thailand and their Effects”; Ministry of the Environment, “Overview of Environmental Issues and Environmental Conservation Practices in Thailand”). Pollution Control With the rising problem of pollution in the country, the government of Thailand has recognized the necessity to develop policies and regulations in order to check such problems. Policies like The Enhancement and Conservation of National Environment Quality Act B.E. 2535 (A.D. 1992), The Factory Act, B.E. 2535 (A.D. 1992), Public Health Act, B.E. 2535 (A.D. 1992), Navigation in Thai Waters Act, B.E. 2456 (A.D. 1913) amended in B.E. 2535 (A.D. 1992), Hazardous Materials Act, B.E. 2535 (A.D. 1992), The Enhancement of Energy Conservation Act, B.E. 2535 (A.D. 1992) and The Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand, B.E. 2522 (A.D. 1979) were developed in order to check the grave problems of various kinds of pollution. These mentioned laws associated with the environment needs to be compulsorily followed by the factories functioning in Thailand (Ministry of the Environment, “Overview of Environmental Issues and Environmental Conservation Practices in Thailand”). Conclusion From the above discussion, the growing problem of pollution and the urgency to control is quite evident. The environmental problems in Thailand is not only affecting the ecosystems but also posing a great threat to the human life. The increasing business activities of the Japanese organizations as well as the increasing number of motor vehicles in Thailand are contributing to a great extent to these pollution problems. The rise in the problem also occurred due to lack of ample environmental laws as well as regulations. However, the government of Thailand was able to identify the urgency to check these problems and has structured laws in regard to the issues. The specifications for water quality have been set according to the identified categories of the water and their objectives of usage by the government in order to restrict the water pollution. The specifications are separate for industrial wastewater and factory wastewater. Specifications have been set for the air quality as well. Fresh national specifications have been structured by the government recently. However, measures to check the pollution due to industrial activities is still to be implemented. There are plans to build more treatment facilities by the government in order to treat the dangerous industrial wastes. The Japanese and other organizations have been ordered to treat the wastes themselves before disposing them. All these preventive measures and regulations offer Thailand hope to overcome the trouble of pollution in the coming days (Environmental Protection Department, “Review of the International Water Resource Management Policies and Actions and the Latest Practice in their Environmental Evaluation and Strategic Environmental Assessment Final Report”). References De Souza, Roger-Mark. “Household Transportation Use and Urban Air Pollution”, November 11, 2011. A Comparative Analysis of Thailand, Mexico and the United States, 2011 Environmental Protection Department. “Review of the International Water Resource Management Policies and Actions and the Latest Practice in their Environmental Evaluation and Strategic Environmental Assessment Final Report”, November 11, 2011. Thailand, 2007 Ministry of the Environment. “Overview of Environmental Issues and Environmental Conservation Practices in Thailand”, November 11, 2011. Thailand, 2001 Mukhopadhyay, Kakali. “Impact on the Environment of Thailand’s Trade with OECD Countries”. November 10, 2011. Asia-Pacific Trade and Investment Review, 2006 < http://www.unescap.org/tid/publication/aptir2414_kakali.pdf> Srisurapanon, Viroat & Wanichapun, Chana. “Environmental Policies in Thailand and their Effects”, November 11, 2011. United Nations, 2000 Bibliography Chua, Thia-Eng & Garces, Len R. Waste management in the coastal areas of the ASEAN region: roles of governments, banking institutions, donor agencies, private sector and communities The WorldFish Center, 1992. Li, An & Et. Al. Persistent organic pollutants in Asia: sources, distributors, transport and fate Elsevier, 2007. Phillips, Douglas A. Thailand Infobase Publishing, 2007. Rock, Michael T. Pollution control in East Asia: lessons from the newly industrializing economies Resources for the Future, 2002. United Nations Environment Programme. Fourth Global Training Programme in Environmental Law UNEP/Earthprint, 1980. Read More