Unable to provide the air pollution data could now cost you hundreds of thousands baht!!
In line with the National Agenda Action Plan "Solving Air Pollution Problems," the Department of Industrial Works has made a new announcement that requires 13 types of factories that pollute the air to install special equipment called continuous emission monitoring systems (CEMS) that can give real-time data on the amount of pollution being released into the atmosphere.
The announcement was at first only put into action in Rayong Province, but the latest one that we are discussing today, which was released on June 10, 2022, has been extended to apply across the entire country.
As stated in the new announcement, in order to monitor air pollution emissions, large plants with high emissions and businesses with a risky manufacturing process that would release pollutants all across Thailand are required to submit pollution data to the Department of Industrial Works.
The new announcement includes these measured figures as part of its details.
| Measured Value | Measured Unit |
| Opacity | percent (%) or mg/m3 |
| Particulate | mg/m3 |
| Sulfure dioxide | ppm |
| Oxides of Nitrogen | ppm |
| Carbon monoxide | ppm |
| Oxygen | % by volume |
| Total Reduced Sulfur | ppm |
| Hydrogen sulfide | ppm |
| Mercury | mg/m3 |
| Hydrogen chloride | mg/m3 |
| Flow Rate | m3/hr |
| Temperature in the chimneys | degree Celsius |
The provided values must be reported under normal conditions, which means that they must be taken at a pressure of one atmosphere (or 760 mmHg), at the temperature of 25 °C at dry basis, with excess air in combustion at 50% or a volume of oxygen in polluted air at 7%.
After obtaining the measurement result, the data must be submitted to the POMS (Pollution Online Monitoring System), which is available as a web application as well as a mobile application. The application isn't just convenient and useful for industrial operators or Department of Industrial Works employees. These values are also visible to the broader public. And if people discover that the pollution data of any factory in their neighborhood is not showing a green number, they can use the system to file complaints, which will let the authorities know about the problem and make sure that the pollution won't hurt their health.
The data must be reported to the system in real time or within one hour and must be continuous for at least 80 percent of the total number of operational hours each day.
Simply put, if your plant is operational 24 hours a day, you are required to submit the data to the Department of Industrial Works for a minimum of twenty hours every day.
What could happen if the business owner ignores this new announcement?
They could be fined up to 20,000 baht if they fail to report the data.
They could be fined up to 200,000 baht if the authority discovers that they do not even have the equipment to measure the pollution data, resulting in an environmental impact, etc.
The Authority has the right to terminate their operation and shut down their business.
As a result, business owners will need to consider step responses, such as implementing special equipment, developing a method for reporting data, and so on, because this data must be reported on a daily basis.
But let's say that there were certain days when you were unable to send in the data due to something like a fire, a blackout, an internal accident, broken measuring equipment, a stop in the production line for maintenance, and other such things. There are also requirements and actions stated in the announcement that must be followed, which we have summarized here.
The reasons or difficulties must be reported to the Department of Industrial Works on the same day or the next day at the latest. No exceptions will be made for public holidays. |
After notifying Industrial Works of the problem, corrective action must be taken within 180 days. |
On June 10, 2023, this statement will become legally binding, which is excellent news for proprietors of commercial enterprises who have not yet taken the necessary precautions. There is still time to establish a work plan, put the processes into action, find a qualified service provider to meet the identified need, and set up everything else you'll need. Instead of wasting time Googling it if you don't have one in mind, why not give us a shot?
We'd be delighted.
Just click this link and drop us a message. Our administrators are eager to arrange for you to speak with professionals who can directly help with all of your concerns.
