Choking on water and trash, Bangkok says please keep canals clean – or else

With Bangkok’s struggling to dry out from weeks of unusually strong precipitation – and Loy Krathong weeks away from turning its canals into trash cans – City Hall wants to remind folks that littering waterways can cost one THB10,000.

Trash hinders drainage and exacerbates flooding in the canals, which are often murky and oily and reeking of rot, but for a brief span during the pandemic. That’s made worse when residents casually dump plumbing-clogging garbage into the mix.

Upward of 9,000 tons of waste are collected each day, according to Bangkok Gov. Chadchart Sittipunt. He said the city will send out more boats to collect waste from waterside residences and offer free pickup services on the weekend.

Public littering violates the Cleanliness Act. The fine for littering in the street is THB2,000, a fraction of that for defiling the waterways.

Rain is…