The Pollution Control Department (PCD) is monitoring the clean-up of oil-contaminated wastewater at a data centre on Rama 9 Road in Bangkok, after officials found the contamination risked flowing into a local canal.
Department Director-General Surin Worakitthamrong said yesterday, September 6, that the department and Huai Khwang District Office inspected the treatment and disposal work at the data centre following the discovery.
Surin said oil-contaminated wastewater and sediment were found in the facility’s internal wastewater retention pond and in the public drainage pipe outside.
The data centre operator has hired an operator to treat and dispose of the contaminated waste. Inside the facility, sandbags are being used to contain the affected water and sediment, along with oil-dispersing agents, before wastewater is pumped out for proper treatment and disposal.
Outside the building, sandbags have also been placed to block and intercept the drainage pipe before it reaches Khlong Rama 9. Workers have cleaned oil residue from inside the pipe and pumped out all the water for treatment.
The operator confirmed that none of the water used in the clean-up, inside or outside the facility, will be released into the environment.
Once the clean-up is complete, the department will re-test the retention pond and external drainage pipe for volatile organic compounds, hydrogen sulphide gas and lower explosive limit levels, to confirm the site has been properly managed and to guard against ongoing risk to residents and the environment, Surin said.
The department first ordered checks on September 3, after Natural Resources and Environment Minister Suchart Chomklin instructed officials to investigate complaints on social media about a fuel-like smell near Soi 6, Rama 9 Road, Bang Kapi subdistrict, Huai Khwang district. Residents reported a stinging smell and skin irritation.
The department found the data centre was not yet officially operating and was in the process of testing its cooling systems. Drainage water at the external outlet was found to be murky brown, with sediment, oil residue and an oil-like smell. Samples were sent to the department’s laboratory for analysis.
The operator told officials that in July, a contractor had been hired to test backup generators, placing fuel tanks near the wastewater retention pond. An accident caused oil to spill onto the ground and enter the public drainage system, according to the company.
The department said it would need further scientific testing to confirm the cause and the extent of the contamination.
Field tests using a portable gas detector found total volatile organic compounds of six parts per million inside the facility and three parts per million in the external public drainage pipe, indicating the presence of volatile organic compounds in the water and requiring close monitoring and urgent remedial action.
Huai Khwang District Office has ordered the operator to remove oil residue from its drainage system to meet wastewater standards, and to introduce measures to prevent further oil leaks and to prevent odours and vapours from affecting residents. The order set a seven-day deadline for the work to be completed.
The PCD, together with Bangkok officials, also visited two other data centres in Suan Luang to review operating systems and inspect cooling, fuel storage and back-up power systems relevant to pollution and safety concerns, as part of preparations for future oversight of data centre expansion in Bangkok.
Suchart said the government supports data centre growth alongside environmental protection.
“Investment and technological development must move forward, but alongside environmental and public care. We need to build confidence that data centres can coexist safely with the community. If problems are found, the [PCD] and relevant agencies must investigate and fix them quickly.”
The department said it will continue to follow up on laboratory results, coordinate with relevant agencies to verify the facts and find solutions, and encourage residents to report issues through its hotline on 1650, its Facebook page, or the Traffy Fondue platform.
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