Plastic waste leakage during flooding in the Chao Phraya River watershed | |
| Author | Kwankamol Chittrakul |
| Call Number | AIT RSPR no.MPA-21-17 |
| Subject(s) | Plastics--Environmental aspects--Thailand--Chao Phraya River Plastic scrap--Environmental aspects--Thailand--Chao Phraya River Plastic marine debris--Environmental aspects--Thailand--Chao Phraya River |
| Note | A research study submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master in Marine Plastics Abatement |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Abstract | Marine plastic issues are becoming the threat to both human and aquatic life. The land-based sources are considered as the main contribution to the plastic debris in the marine ecosystem. According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Thailand is one of the main polluters for the marine plastic waste which the plans to tackle this problem are needed. Monitoring of plastic waste leakage due to all potential factors is a key to access the missing information, and to fill in the gaps to develop a proper problem-solving strategy. Chao Phraya River watershed as the most important area, contributing the most to the country’s economy, was a pathway of many mismanaged plastic waste. Moreover, the area is also extremely vulnerable to flooding. Thus, Chao Phraya River watershed possess a high risk for plastic leakage to the marine environment through natural water channels under the flooding condition. This study estimated the amount of plastic waste leakage from hotspots to Chao Phraya River using MIKE 21 coupled with MIKE 11 in MIKE Flood. The simulation started at 7 AM of 25 July 2011 and ended at 7 AM 25 November 2011. Then, the hydrodynamic model was used in MIKE 21/3 particle tracking for the plastic waste leakage model. The results from research study show that the fate of plastic waste leakage from hotspots significantly depended on the current direction of the flooded water which means the topography of the area contributed to the rate of plastic leakage to the environment under flooding condition. Furthermore, with the complicated river network, plastic waste was likely trapped on land rather than washed off to the river channels after the flooding water was slowly dissipated. The result from the Particle Tracking model also showed that plastic waste could be transported up to only 20 kilometers away from the source by flooding water regarding the mild gradient of Chao Phraya River. In addition, the plastic waste mostly floated away from the river channel unless there was another stronger flow from the other directions. The total amount of plastic waste leakage from dumpsites in the west side of Chao Phraya River watershed during flooding time was 24,621 tons, which increased approximately 12% or 1.15 times compared to the normal condition. |
| Year | 2021 |
| Type | Research Study Project Report (RSPR) |
| School | School of Environment, Resources, and Development (SERD) |
| Department | Department of Energy and Climate Change (Former title: Department of Energy, Environment, and Climate Change (DEECC)) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Marine Plastic Abatement (MPA) |
| Chairperson(s) | Ekbordin Winijkul |
| Examination Committee(s) | Shrestha, Sangam;Xue, Wenchao |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | Government of Japan |
| Degree | Research studies project report (M.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2021 |