LAMPANG – The environmental committee of Ban Dong Subdistrict Administration Organisation called EGAT to explain a landslide at the Mae Moh mine. Tempers flared after it emerged that ground movement had been detected on 30 October, yet no warning was issued.
Committee members were still sent to walk the spoil ridge on 31 October as usual. The slope failed before dawn the next day, then slipped again for a third time, with ongoing rain cited as the cause.
Leosun Wongsapia, Mayor of Ban Dong SAO, chaired this afternoon’s meeting (6 Nov) with the local environmental participation committee and community leaders. EGAT’s environmental team attended to briefing and took questions.
The collapse happened at a spoil tip near residential areas, damaging buildings and assets of contractors working on the Mae Moh mine. Losses are estimated in the hundreds of millions of baht. People living nearby are anxious and on edge.
Thitipan Pongraman, head of the mine environment division, reported that movement at the south‑west spoil area (Contract 8) is ongoing. Crews are working to stabilise the site and keep coal deliveries running, which EGAT called its core task.
Water Buildup in Mae Moh Mine Soil
He said the slip has blocked a drainage canal, which could flood nearby farmland. Four large pumps are now moving water back to Mae Kham Reservoir, with work expected to finish by Sunday. According to EGAT, LANDMOS satellite sensors flagged movement at about 19.00 on 30 October. Operations were halted and staff were told to shift to other locations thought to be safe if a failure occurred.
Movement then increased beyond expectations, said the team, as rain fell from 31 Oct to 3 Nov. EGAT believes water build‑up in the spoil mass led to the collapse at around 03.00 on 4 Nov 2568. A one square kilometre exclusion zone was set up. The slide hit the Contract 8 work area of Sahakol Co., buried the drainage canal, and took out all conveyor belts. The ground is still moving in line with mapped risk zones.
Ketsirin Paengsen, head of the Mae Moh Livable City Project, said the team knew of movement from 30 October and told contractors to move large equipment first. They believed there was still time. Staff walked the site on 31 Oct and 1 Nov, as no cracks or clear failure signs were visible then. The first obvious slide was seen on 4 Nov, when access was closed.
She added that no one expected the slip to travel so far. The ground had been creeping slowly, and the team thought it was manageable and would stay within the tip. Managers prioritised safety, especially the risk to life, and wrote to village leaders asking them to keep residents out. More spoil is now dropping into the pit.
EGAT Safety Standards
Mayor Leosun said EGAT knew about the movement on 30 October but did not notify local authorities, the district chief, or subdistrict leaders before the incident. Despite sensor alerts, EGAT placed too much faith in its assessment that nothing would happen when it should have been on watch. He noted this is the third such event.
Ban Dong residents and local leaders echoed the concern. They argued EGAT had early warnings from the ground movement system but assumed the risk was low. Committee members even walked the slope on 31 Oct. If the failure had struck that day or on the next planned visit on 4 Nov, there could have been a mass casualty.
They accused EGAT of falling short on safety standards by not alerting the community. If villagers had been in the area at the time, the outcome could have been tragic. There have been two previous incidents with damage and loss.
While casualties this time are still unconfirmed, the asset damage is immense. For a major Asian utility that claims international safety standards, they asked how EGAT will answer the public and restore trust in site safety.
