Japan to lend green expertise to Thailand's eco-town program

Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has agreed to assist Thailand in developing provincial level eco-towns under the Green Partnership Program between the two countries, it was revealed yesterday.

The Thailand Industrial Works Department plans to set up an eco-industrial pilot town with the help of Japanese experts who will help set up a master plan to roll out into other provinces.

"I would like to see a clear plan, starting with one pilot province such as with Samut Prakan, for example, which will become a model for other provinces in the future," said the department’s director-general Arthit Wuthikaro.

Samut Prakan's Bang Pu Industrial Estate has recently been in the news because of cases of illegal and harmful waste water dumping.

The project will be modeled after Osaka's eco-town project which established by the Japanese government in 1997 to promote a zero-emissions vision of recycling waste from one industry to be used as raw materials in others, with the ultimate goal of completely eliminating waste.

In Japan, a prefecture or major city can propose a plan that is unique based on the characteristics of each region.