(Photo: Pattanapong Sripiachai)BUENG KAN - Recent water quality tests have confirmed the Mekong River is safe, with arsenic levels within acceptable limits, according to a senior local environmental official. The tests in November were undertaken after the regional environmental office in Udon Thani found arsenic levels at one monitoring point in Bueng Kan had reached 0.019 mg/L in August. A subsequent test in September showed arsenic levels had fallen below the standard. He said Bueng Kan has no industrial plants or mining concessions that use arsenic in their production processes. However, there are no arsenic test results from the Lao stretch of the Mekong, making it difficult to verify or determine the origin of the contamination.

Source: Bangkok Post December 20, 2025 14:36 UTC