Public Disclosure Program in Thailand
“Thai Environmental Truth”
Pollution Control Department, Thailand
Presentation to Public Disclosure
Program
Nanjing, China
Worldbank
June 21-22, 2001
Outline of Presentation

Legal Issue for Public Disclosure
 The Incentive of Public Disclosure Program
 Public Disclosure Program “Thai Environment Truth
(TET)”
– Why water !!!
– Targeting of Polluters: Industrial Sector and Non
Industrial Sector
– Design of Information System
– Design of Rating Strategy
– Design of Disclosure Strategy
– Institutional Responsibilities
 Conclusion
Legal Issues
Community Right to Know

Three Acts
 The 1992 National Environmental Quality
Act
 The 1997 Official Information Act
 The 1997 Constitution Act
The 1992 National Environmental Quality Act,
Section 6 (1)
To be informed and obtain information
and data from the government service in
matters concerning the enhancement and
conservation of environmental quality,
except any information or data that are
officially classified as secret intelligence
pertaining to national security, or secrets
pertaining to the right to privacy, property
rights, or the rights in trade or business of
any person which are duty protected by law
The 1997 Official Information Act
“ The 1997 Official Information Act provides
the public with a legal right to official
government information. In general, the Act
provides for types of information that may and
may not be disclosed, setting out specific
definitions and exceptions, and defining
procedures for determining release and nonrelease of information through two bodies, an
Official Information Board and a Tribunal to
hear appeals ”
The 1997 Constitution Act, Section 58
“ A person shall have the right to get access to
public information in possession of a
Government agency, State agency, State
enterprise or local administration, unless the
disclosure of such information shall affect the
security of the State, public safety or interests of
other persons which shall be protected as
provided by law [emphasis supplied].”
The Incentive of Public Disclosure Program
Situation :
 May 1999 : Published the waste water discharge of industrial estates and
complex
 August 1999: Published the 10 non compliance Rock mill factories
 June 2000: Published the waste water discharge information of non-compliance
Hotels and Hospitals
Result : Industrial Estate
120
24
10
42
100
80
w astew ater
Management
Air pollution
Management
Waste Management
60
40
20
0
1
2
3
Stone Crusher Plant
25
20
Saraburi
Chonburi
Ratchaburi
Petchaburi
Supanburi
15
10
5
0
1999
2001
Hotel and Building
50 percent
reduction
Result (Continue)



The Enterprises aware and concern their performance.
The responsible government agency strengthen their action.
Experience :
– Non reliable result.
– Non systematic performance.
– No pollution reduction target and strategy.
– Non persistent disclose.
Objective
Supplement enforcement authority
 Increase public pressure on the firm
 Establish and maintain database and network system
 Driven market and commercial mechnanism
 Establish transparency of government
 Improve health and welfare

Public Disclosure Program: “Thai Environment Truth”
For the Program to Be Successful and Have Impact:
1) It must be credible:
It must be implemented and supervised by a group of people who can certify the validity
of the results and that the people can believe.
2) It must produce reliable results:
It must be based on accurate information, from primary data collection, processed with
reliable information system.
3) It must be sustained over time:
The program cannot be a one-shot event; it has to become a regular (or ‘official’) tool in
the hands of the agency.
Why Water Pollution !!!
1) Water pollution is a serious issue in Thailand, compare to the other countries
 2) BOD and TSS are relatively inexpensive to monitor;
 3) There is existing information about BOD and TSS.
 4) Auditing the environment performance of polluter which prevent the pollution
transfer media.

Water Quality
Coastal Quality
Thailand ranks 14th in the world in terms of emissions
of organic water pollution
Kilograms per day
China
United States
India
Russian fed.
Japan
Germany
Indonesia
Brazil
UK
France
Ukraine
Poland
Italy
Thailand
7, 396, 000
2, 584, 818
1, 664, 150
1, 615, 356
1, 468, 545
811, 315
727, 496
690, 876
642, 362
585, 382
539, 490
385, 331
359, 578
355, 819
Kilograms per day
per worker
0.14
0.15
0.19
0.15
0.14
0.12
0.17
0.19
0.15
0.15
0.16
0.16
0.13
0.16
Among these countries, Thailand ranks 9th in terms
of emissions per square kilometer
Kilograms per
thousand sq. km
Japan
3 885
UK
2 621
Germany
2 272
Italy
1 194
Poland
1 193
France
1 060
Ukraine
893
China
770
Thailand
693
India
506
Indonesia
382
USA
276
Russian Fed.
94
Brazil
81
Public Disclosure: 3 Components
Public Disclosure Program
Hotel
Industry
Other Buildings
Targeting of Polluters
Industrial
Using:
• DIW’s database
• PCD’s GIS system
• PCD’s Water quality management plan
• World Bank Industrial Pollution Projection
System (IPPS)
We were able to estimate:
• Industrial pollution for 68 000 factories in
Thailand
These results have been aggregated by:
• Industrial sectors;
• Industrial estates vs Non-industrial estates;
• Provinces;
• Regions;
• Water basins.
Per water basins in Central Region: BOD
Maeklong
17%
Noi
7%
T hacin
24%
Pasak
4%
Khaewnoi
2%
Lopburi
1%
Petchaburi
0%
Khaewyai
0%
Choapaya
45%
Sakaekrang
0%
Salawin
0%
Per water basins in Central Region: TSS
T hacin
25%
Maeklong
5%
Pasak
2%
Noi
2%
Lopburi
1%
Petchaburi
1%
Khaewnoi
1%
Khaewyai
0%
Choapaya
63%
Sakaekrang
0%
Salawin
0%
Contribution of Industrial Sectors to Water Pollution, Thailand (in order
of importance)
Thailand
BOD
Pulp, Paper and Paperboard
Industrial Chemicals except Fertilizer
Sugar Factories & Refineries
Distilled Spirits
Dairy Products
Nonferrous Metals
TSS
Iron and Steel
Pulp, Paper and Paperboard
Jewelry and Related Articles
Nonferrous Metals
Drugs and Medicines
Industrial Chemicals except Fertilizer
ISIC
3411
3511
3118
3131
3112
3720
3710
3411
3901
3720
3522
3511
%
Cumulative
Contribution
to total
%
32
32
14
46
10
56
8
64
8
72
7
79
60
9
8
8
4
2
60
69
77
85
89
91
Result




Cost effective approach
– Water Basin
– Industrial Sector
– Advantage - high pollution reduction, lowest travel cost
– Disadvantage - Political risk
11 Water Basin (BOD loading and Water quality)
Noi,Maeklong,Choapaya,Thachin,Khaewnoi,Pasak,
Pranchinburi,Bangprakong, Nan, Ping and Songkhla
10 Type of Industrial, produce large BOD and TSS
- Pulp & paper
- Dairy products
- Sugar factories
- Distilled spirits
- Fish products
- Preserved fruit
- Oil and fat
- Industrial chemicals
- Nonferrouse metals
- Iron & steel
Target
1405 factory in 3 phase, 3 years
 BOD loading reduction appoximate 60%
 TSS loading reduction appoximate 50%


Non Industrial Sector
– The Large Building classified as “Building Type A” in Bangkok, Pollution Control Areas and tourism
area
• Hotel
more than
200 rooms
• Hospital
more than
30
Beds
• Residential Building more than
500
units
• School/University more than 25,000 Square Meters
• Office Building
more than 55,000 Square Meters
• The Mall
more than 25,000
Square Meters
• Market
more than
2,500Square Meters
• Restaurant
more than
2,500 Square Meters

Targeting approximately 496 Buildings in 3 years
Design of Information System
Surveys
Sampling of effluents
Pollution Profile of Selected Polluters
Information System
Existing Data
Key Features of the Information System
1) Combines data from self-monitoring and inspections reports
2) Uses historical pollution profile of factories
3) Tests for accuracy based on correlation of pollution data with treatment
system and sector and parameter
Outline of Rating Strategy
Criteria 1: Compliance with BOD and TSS standards
Criteria 2: Does the plant exercise effort to reduce its pollution
there cleaner
production effort)?
Criteria 3: Complaints by local communities
Criteria 4: Maintain records and submit information as required
by laws
Criteria 5: Is the plant ISO14000?
(e.g. is there a treatment system in place or is
Is the firm complying with environmental standards?
YES
NO
Is the firm significantly better than
compliance?
No
OK
Yes
Does the firm attempt to comply?
No
Is there pollution complaints against
Yes
the firm?
Yes
Does the firm maintain good
bookkeeping?
BAD
Yes
Does the firm maintain good
bookkeeping?
Is the firm using clean technology?
GOOD
No
Is the firm ISO14000?
No
VERYGOOD
VERY BAD
No
No
Disclosure strategy
1) What is the best way to disclose results?
Very Good
A
Good
B
C
Ok
or
or
Bad
D
Very Bad
F
or...
Disclosure strategy (Cont.)
1) What is the best way to disclose results?
2) What is the best media strategy?
3) What agency play important role?
4) What is the best way to establish expectation?
Institutional Responsibilities
Prime Minister
NEQB
PID
Internal Functions
Functions:
Oversight
Strategy
Quality assurance
Rating analysis
Pollution reduction pact
Outsourcing
Functions:
Sample collection, sample analysis, data
reporting (full time job for a team of 3 to 5
people for 6 months)
Disclosure strategy