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Plai Pirom, who works for the group, said he and his colleagues had collected and studied

samples from the river.

“The water has a foul smell and contains scraps of leather,” he said, adding that the pollution

was adversely affecting fishermen in the Bang Pu area. He lamented that relevant authorities

had failed to stop the problem, even though the issue had been raised before.

Wilai Kobtong, a 75-year-old local resident, said she and her family had lived with the foul

smell for decades.

“When a tanning association stepped in to help, the pollution eased somewhat,” the elderly

woman said.

However, Boonchu Ib, who was visiting her old hometown yesterday, said the pollution had

worsened.

She suspected tanning factories released their waste without proper treatment during floods

or heavy rains, because the water on the roads was clearly red, black or purple in colour.

“I think the water must be contaminated with some chemical,” she said.

Srisak Sayayon, 45, said she and her granddaughter had developed respiratory problems.

“Our health is failing because of the pollution,” she said.

Another resident, Watcharee Chaiya, 55, urged relevant authorities to fix the problem by

dredging nearby canals. “I have developed allergies and asthma now. I have difficulty

breathing in cold weather,” she said.

Industrial Works Department engineer Wirittipon Tuwachit-apiwich said his agency would

take action if it received complaints. “As of now, we have checked wastewater at factories

and it passes the legal requirments,” he said.

Meanwhile, a Senate committee on natural resources and environment inspected a polluted

area in Samut Prakan’s Muang district last month to tackle the problem.