River clean-up after Loy Krathong festival

BANGKOK, Nov 23 (TNA) – About 840,000 Krathongs have been collected from Bangkok waterway after the Loy Krathong festival ended yesterday. The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) officials cleared Krathong remains, floated during the Festival of Light along the 34-km route of the Chao Phraya River. Forty garbage collecting boats and 200 officials started working since 1 am. to collected Krathongs from Rama VII bridge to Bang Na district. Krathongs made from natural materials will be sent to an organic fertiliser plant in Nong Khaem district while those made from polystyrene foam will be buried. This year, BMA collected 841,327 Krathongs from Bangkok waterways, up 3.62 per cent from the previous year. Of the total, 811,945 or 94.7% were made from natural materials and the rest made from polystyrene foam. Authorities have encouraged the public to use Krathongs made from natural materials such as banana trunks and leaves to reduce impacts on the environment. (TNA)