This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 BANGKOK 000717 
 
SIPDIS 
 
UNCLASSIFIED 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EB, EAP/MLS AND OES/PCI STEWART 
DEPT PLEASE PASS TO NOAA DAS BRENNAN 
KATHMANDU FOR REO KOCH 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SENV EFIS TH
SUBJECT: ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS OF THE TSUNAMI IN THAILAND, 
ONE-YEAR LATER 
 
This is the first of a two-part report on Thailand's 
environmental recovery and tsunami reconstruction. 
 
¶1. Summary.  Thailand's one-year commemoration of the 
tsunami garnered international attention, as well as 
 
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national introspection into the country's recovery.  With 
the immediate needs of the humanitarian crisis attended to, 
academics and aid organizations have been focusing on the 
long-term environmental effects.  Although it was created by 
a sea-bottom fault line, the tsunami was not an underwater 
disaster; it was a coastal disaster.  Seagrass beds, coral 
reefs, and marine life, while affected by the tsunami, have 
proved resilient.  The more significant environmental damage 
occurred onshore, specifically related to water resources, 
and this has drawn attention to long-standing practices that 
degrade the environment far more than the 2004 tsunami did. 
Some groups see this moment as an opportunity to rebuild 
with enviro-friendly guidelines, and Septel will discuss 
tsunami reconstruction, including some controversial new 
 
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zoning regulations.  This report examines the environmental 
effects of the tsunami in Thailand.  End Summary. 
 
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UNDERWATER DEBRIS: AN "ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF JUNK" 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
¶2. As the waves of the tsunami receded, they swept a huge 
collection of land objects into the ocean with them.  These 
items now lie buried under 1 to 1.5 meters of sand, melding 
with the long shallow slope of the area's underwater 
topography.  The sand shifts with every storm and lunar 
cycle, re-burying and re-exposing refrigerators, 
televisions, box springs, and various other man-made pieces 
of wreckage and debris.  Amcit Reid Ridgway, head of the 
Ecotourism Training Center (ETC) in Khao Lak, told Econoff 
that "there is still an enormous amount of junk" on the 
ocean floor.  His students have been researching and 
collecting data on the extent of the buried matter by 
uncovering buried scraps and fragments during dives over the 
past year.  The work has been painstaking, as poking around 
the debris stirs up the sand to near-zero visibility.  ETC 
is fundraising for a sonar sidescan that can penetrate the 
sand without disturbing it. 
 
¶3. According to Ridgway, even though the amount of debris is 
enormous, the highly buffered nature and sheer volume of 
seawater enables it to absorb and dissolve a great deal of 
compounds that may be released during the breakdown of the 
trash; the high alkalinity of seawater can neutralize 
polluting acids, such as battery acid.  Khao Lak's open 
Andaman waters, with high ocean circulation, are well 
situated for environmental recovery.  Lagoons and other 
poorly circulated coastal areas may suffer, however, and 
areas that were chemical storage sites will become dangerous 
if PBCs and CFCs move to nearby beaches or bio-accumulate in 
the food chain.  Swimmers also may cut themselves on stray, 
sharp objects.  Ridgway, as well as a marine and coastal 
zone specialist currently working in the Marshall Islands 
and experts from the Phuket Marine Biological Center, says 
that much more needs to be done to address the issue of 
underwater debris.  Their suggestions include: a complete 
survey of the trash's chemical composition to ascertain the 
potential of bottom feeders introducing dangerous chemicals 
into the food chain; continued monitoring of the debris, 
especially after tidal movements and storms; and removal of 
as much of the debris as possible using dredging machinery, 
which they acknowledge would be an extremely expensive 
undertaking. 
 
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CORAL REEFS: TSUNAMI ONLY ONE OF THEIR DANGERS 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
¶4. Econoff met with a coral reef expert from the Phuket 
Marine Biological Center, which was part of a joint academic 
and governmental study that investigated 324 coral reef 
sites, ranging from off-shore islands to coastal-fringing 
reefs, within one month of the tsunami.  Their study 
concluded that only 13 percent of the reefs suffered heavy 
impact; 61 percent suffered either no impact or very low 
impact from the tsunami.  The worst coral reef destruction 
occurred at Koh Phi Phi Don, an island 50 kilometers 
southeast of Phuket where more than 1000 people died; the 
Surin Islands 180 kilometers north of Phuket; and Patong Bay 
on Phuket Island itself.  A survey by a visiting team from 
the New England Aquarium in Massachusetts likened some of 
the coral reef destruction to the smoking ruins of a bombed 
city, as large coral heads of 4-7 meters in diameter were 
overturned, and transported tens of meters from their 
original locations.  They noted, however, that even severely 
impacted reefs continue to support a diversity of fish 
fauna, with only a slight decrease in numbers of species 
present compared to unaffected reefs.  The reef expert from 
the Phuket Marine Biological Center told Econoff that 
continuing damage from human sources - boat anchors, over- 
fishing, and tourism, as well as coral bleaching - present 
far more danger to coral reefs than the tsunami did.  (Note: 
Coral bleaching, a damaging response by corals to 
environmental stress, has a variety of causes.  Many 
scientists link the worldwide increase in coral bleaching of 
recent years to global warming and increased ultraviolet 
radiation exposure from ozone depletion.  End note.) 
 
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MANGROVES: WORTH THEIR WEIGHT IN GREEN 
-------------------------------------- 
¶5. During the tsunami, mangroves demonstrated that, as in 
previous storms and cyclones, they provide coastal 
protection by reducing wave velocity and volume.  Areas with 
healthy mangrove cover and their associated ecosystems 
suffered less damage than those without mangroves, prompting 
more discussion among academics and government environment 
officials about the importance of mangrove conservation. 
Dr. Maitree Duangsawasdi, head of Thailand's Department of 
Marine and Coastal Resources was quoted in the press saying, 
"Mangroves in Ranong and Phang Nga saved hundreds of people. 
We need to plant more of them along the coastline."  The 
tsunami damaged about 20 percent of the mangroves on 
 
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Thailand's western coast, but like coral reefs, mangroves 
have and continue to be more at risk of destruction by human 
causes than by natural disasters.  John Pernetta, an 
official at the United Nations Environment Programme, 
estimates that the cutting down of mangrove forests to make 
room for shrimp aquaculture farms, seaside tourist resorts, 
and coastal urban expansion, have resulted in a decline of 
up to 80 percent in mangrove coastal cover on Thailand's 
eastern seaboard in the past few decades. 
¶6. Seagrass beds received little damage from the tsunami.  A 
survey released by The Ministry of Natural Resources and the 
Environment revealed that about five percent of the Andaman 
Coast's seagrass area was affected, concentrated around 
Phang Nga province.  The January 2005 survey found fast 
growing leaves, which were expected to replenish the area in 
a few months' time. 
 
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MARINE ENDANGERED SPECIES: MOSTLY UNHURT 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶7. Experts at the Phuket Marine Biological Center told 
Econoff that the marine mammals generally fared well in the 
tsunami, with the notable exception of over 1000 captive 
 
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turtles, located at various research institutions, which 
were washed away.  Two dolphins, one bottlenose and one 
unidentified, were found dead onshore, they said, adding 
that endangered species of the Dugong, or Sea Cow, were not 
affected. 
 
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FISH: HEALTHIER THAN BEFORE? 
---------------------------- 
 
¶8. According to Dr. Maitree Duangsawasdi, the tsunami was in 
many ways healthy for the underwater world, acting as a kind 
of reset button.  The turbulence unearthed new nutrients, 
and plankton increased temporarily, which enriched the fish 
and lobster.  A study released by the New England Aquarium 
stated that the negative impact of the tsunami on coral reef 
fish stocks appeared to be negligible, and that the 
robustness of coral reef fish stocks illustrates the 
effectiveness of Thailand's marine sanctuaries. 
 
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OVERFISHING: "NOW EVERYONE HAS A BOAT. THEY PARK THEIR BOATS 
EVERYWHERE." 
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¶9. The above statement by a disgruntled Khao Lak villager to 
Econoff captures an oft-repeated sentiment that prolific 
post-tsunami boat-recovery assistance programs have created 
more fishermen than ever before.  However, the problem of 
declining fish stocks, not only in tsunami affected waters, 
but in the Gulf of Thailand as well, is more attributable to 
illegal fishing practices by large commercial fishing boats 
than to any increase in the numbers of small-scale village 
fishermen.  These boats trawl the ocean with nets that reach 
to the sea floors and scoop up everything in their paths. 
In addition, another illegal practice, "light fishing" -- 
using lights to attract the fish to nets at night -- is 
growing, according to the chairman of Save Andaman Network, 
a coalition of more than 50 NGOs coordinating community- 
based tsunami response efforts with a focus on small-scale 
fisherfolk and marginalized populations.  He told Econoff 
that enforcement of laws against "light fishing" is 
extremely lax, partly because of the influence of certain 
government officials from areas in southern Thailand where 
the practice is common. 
 
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OCEAN WATER QUALITY: IMPROVED? 
------------------------------ 
 
¶10. A water specialist from the Phuket Marine Biological 
Center expressed amazement at the results he found in post- 
tsunami ocean quality.  Having tested the ocean water just 
 
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two weeks before the tsunami, he tested it again two weeks 
afterwards.  Expecting high contamination levels, he instead 
found the quality to have improved on the bacterial level, 
specifically with respect to coliform bacteria originating 
in waste water.  He hypothesizes that the bacteria bonded to 
the immense run-off of land sediment that occurred during 
the tsunami and sank to the ocean bottom along with the 
sediment.  Samples from areas all along the western coast 
tested in the "good" or "very good" water quality level, 
with the exception of Ranong near the Burmese border, which 
has historical river contamination problems. 
 
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GARBAGE AND WASTE WATER: NEEDS BETTER MANAGEMENT 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
¶11. The lessening of coliform bacteria is likely to be only 
temporary.  An employee at the Khao Lak garbage facility 
told Econoff that local inhabitants throw 20 percent of 
their garbage directly into the ocean and bury much of the 
rest, creating underground run-off further polluting the 
ocean.  Wastewater facilities serving communities along the 
Andaman coast also are insufficient in number and inadequate 
in capacity.  A representative of the NGO Thailand 
Environmental Institute told Econoff that the government's 
taxation and budget allocation structure and mechanisms are 
partly to blame.  The budget for wastewater management is 
allocated to municipalities based solely on the size of the 
indigenous population, and do not include the significant 
numbers of tourists continually present in some locations. 
Moreover, taxes collected from the numerous tourist hotels 
accrue to the provincial, not municipal, governments.  The 
result is that the demand for waste water treatment services 
is underestimated, and funds that could be used to address 
the problem are used elsewhere. The representative from the 
Thailand Environmental Institute said that Phang Nga 
province could in theory use tourist taxes to build a new 
wastewater treatment plant sorely needed for Khao Lak 
municipality, but has chosen instead to undertake a road 
construction project, which will likely contribute to 
increased tourism and further strain existing wastewater 
treatment facilities. 
 
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DRINKING WATER: BETTER TO BUY IT 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶12. Before the tsunami, most villagers drank tap water. 
Now, because of pollution of water sources and soil 
salinization, many tsunami-affected villages lack potable 
water and rely to a large extent on more expensive bottled 
water.  Inadequate drainage and waste water systems has 
caused underground drinking water sources to be contaminated 
by the seepage of soil nitrates and phosphates, as well as 
by run-off from debris at construction sites.  Salt, infused 
into the soil by the tsunami, also contaminates shallow 
wells.  According to a water consultant with the American 
Red Cross, installation of reed bed filters could solve the 
problem, but this option may not viable in Phuket and Khao 
Lak as most of the land is privately owned. 
 
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SOIL SALINIZATION: THE SALT OF (OR IN) THE EARTH 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
¶13. The prolonged flooding of coastal lands by saltwater 
from the tsunami caused large amounts of salt to seep into 
the soil and groundwater.  So far, the effects of the 
salinization have received little academic attention, but 
locals and aid workers attest that the region's ecology has 
changed.  The extent of the damage is unknown, beyond 
reports of "dead areas." Farmers who formerly grew longan, 
durian, and rambutan in small fruit orchards in the region 
complain that their trees are unable to thrive and bear 
fruit.  The options available are to either wait for the 
salt to dissipate, although no one knows how long that might 
take; or to bring in plants suitable for the now brackish 
soil.  NOAA scientist Dr. Chip McCreery notes that the 
tsunami that swept over parts of Hawaii in 1957 turned 
 
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formerly lush areas into deserts that persist 50 years 
later.  Professors at Thailand's Prince Songkla University 
and Chulalongkorn University told Econoff that no one has 
yet conducted the research necessary to understand the 
effects of soil salinization on Thailand's western coast. 
 
¶14. Comment.  The underwater ocean environment suffered 
relatively little lasting damage from the tsunami; the major 
impact to the onshore environment has been the saltwater 
contamination of soil and drinking water sources.  Continued 
environmentally unsustainable practices, such as over- 
fishing, mangrove deforestation, and unregulated urban 
growth along the coast, are more gradual, more insidious, 
and ultimately more devastating to Thailand's coastal 
environment than any damage from the tsunami.  End comment.