Pattaya’s sewer system: Pattaya officials said there is nothing they can do currently to prevent sewage from flowing directly into the sea in Naklua during heavy storms.
The Chonburi Natural Resources and Environment Department ordered Pattaya sanitation and wastewater-treatment workers to inspect the hotel-dotted Wong Amat Beach Sept. 27 after a viral video showed black sludge draining into the sea.
Pattaya officials confirmed the sewer pipes shown were not a private, stealthy attempt to dump wastewater illegally, but, in fact, part of Pattaya’s overburdened sewage system.
During heavy storms, runoff enters the sewer system and sewers back up, causing the two to mix and then drain into the sea.
Until Pattaya upgrades its infrastructure, there’s nothing that can be done.
Staffers tested the water to see if it posed a hazard to swimmers.
