CHIANG RAI -Asst. Prof. Dr. Sitang Puailua says official messaging about harmful toxins in the Kok River sounds too relaxed, even though the root cause has not been addressed.
She warns that toxic metals can move through the food chain far beyond Chiang Rai, while boat operators and riverside vendors report sharp income losses and no clear support.
On March 11, 2026, Asst. Prof. Dr. Sitang Puailua, a lecturer in the Department of Water Resources Engineering at the Faculty of Engineering, Kasetsart University, and an advisor to Thailand’s Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives, shared concerns on Facebook after joining a meeting hosted by the Office of National Water Resources (ONWR). The meeting focused on water quality management and health impacts in a crisis area and took place on March 9.
According to information presented at the meeting, heavy metal contamination from upstream appeared lower during this period. Dr. Sitang said it remained unclear why. She noted it could be tied to reduced mining activity near the headwaters in Myanmar, but no firm explanation was provided.
Officials also reported that arsenic levels in the water did not exceed the standard for raw water used to produce tap water. Continuous testing along the river, running from last year to now, suggested a downward trend.
Still, Dr. Sitang said the main issue is how agencies in Chiang Rai are communicating. In her view, the message sounds like the situation is under control, even though no real action has been taken to reduce pollution at its source.
Most agencies, she said, are focused on monitoring and surveillance. If the numbers drop, that may simply be luck, not proof that the problem has been solved.
Kok River Contaminates the Food Chain
She also warned that the most urgent risk is a sudden spike. If, at any time, testing detects a sharp jump in heavy metals like arsenic or cadmium, or even other hazardous elements that the state has not routinely tested (such as palladium), agencies must be able to respond immediately.
In her view, there is still no clear plan for that kind of rapid response.
Dr. Sitang added that work on the diplomatic side still lacks a clear protocol and timeline that could realistically reduce contamination at the source in Myanmar. As a result, Thai agencies are left managing impacts downstream with defensive measures, while local residents carry the burden.
She also cautioned that people outside Chiang Rai should not assume the problem will stay local. Contamination that enters the food chain can travel farther than many expect. Heavy metals in water, food, rice, crops, and aquatic animals may not cause instant illness, but long-term exposure raises serious health risks, including cancer.
She said the summary data shared in meetings can sound reassuring, yet deeper details gathered from closer involvement point to a much more alarming picture than the public has been told.
Local livelihoods Struggling
Field reporting along the Kok River in Chiang Rai found that many residents affected by toxic contamination have not received any compensation or relief from the government, even after nearly a year. Small operators, including boat drivers and vendors in tourist service areas, said they have few options to replace lost income.
Songkran, a 63-year-old boat driver on the Kok River, said he now spends many days repairing engines and waiting. Even when customers show up, he often does not get a turn in the queue.
He said he started this work at age 18. Before the crisis, his boat club had 34 drivers. Now only 13 remain, rotating turns as demand has dropped. He added that riverside shops and floating restaurants have also gone quiet. Visitors who once traveled to the beach area and waited to ride boats have largely disappeared.
For him, the past year has felt like daily life has been cut apart, like a river forced to split in two, even while water still flows.
Thin, who runs a riverside restaurant and floating raft business at Chiang Rai beach, said she has worked there for more than 20 years. These days, she feels like she works every day just to cover rent.
Many of the businesses along the Kok River have operated for over two decades. Before the contamination crisis, there were about 30 shops and raft restaurants. Now only 19 remain.
She said most owners are not staying because they prefer this hardship. They stay because they have nowhere else to go. Many are deeply tied to the area, and they do not have another home or a backup job waiting.
Vendors Lose Customers
Porn Inta, a som tam vendor at Chiang Rai beach, said her family struggled even before the contamination news. After flooding and a mudslide in 2024, she borrowed money to repair damage to her shop. Then, before she could recover, the toxic contamination crisis hit, and customers stopped coming.
She said her small shop used to earn about 6,000 to 7,000 baht per month in profit, which was enough to get by. Since the river contamination became widely discussed, she said, there have been almost no customers. She added that she and her husband have no safety net, and their age makes it hard to find new work.
Suwan, another owner of a riverside restaurant and floating raft, described efforts to follow public health guidance. She said her shop switched from plastic plates to ceramic plates and replaced some plastic cups with clear glasses. For children who still enter the water, she keeps soap and shampoo ready so they can wash right after swimming.
Even with these changes, many local operators say the bigger problem remains. When fear spreads and tourists stay away, small businesses lose their income, and there is still no clear path back to normal.
