Legal Measure for Controlling the Process of Salt Making from Underground Brine in Maha Sarakham Province

Abstract

The rock salt has been made since past time and there has been environmental concern from this making process. However, evolution of the rock salt production in the industrial age could cause to some problems, particularly the environmental harm. While, the drilling of underground water and making salt from underground brine including melting rock salt mining can enhance the productivity of rock salt and can be used in other filed such as industrial development and exporting as one important commodities of the country, the impact on the environment and on the ecosystem from such rock salt making process could occur. Therefore, law enforcement for rock salt making process control would be taken into account by the nation. The crisis on the impact caused by the drilling of underground water and the salt brine for rock salt making process can be seen from the case of Seaw River in Maha Sarakham Province. This case study is a good example of the role of law to control the making process of rock salt in Thailand. To solve environmental problems about pumping underground brine and salt making from the underground brine in Maha Sarakham Province, the Factory Act, B.E. 2512 ( the current version is the Factory Act B.E. 2535) is come into affect prior to the amendment of the Minerals Act B.E 2510. The issue of drilling underground brine is added into section 5 bis of the Act. However, at present the Minerals Act B.E. 2510 has not been enforced as the provision of ministerial regulation about concentration of underground brine is required to be reconsidered. The key measures of the country encompass: defining pumping underground brine; the permission; the measures to control pumping underground brine and salt from underground brine. These measures would significantly help protect environment from the process of rock salt making.