The walkways along the canal on Rachang Road, Hai Ya subdistrict, once busy with visitors drawn to the photogenic waterway, are now largely empty. Shops and restaurants in the area report a sharp drop in income as tourists have stayed away.
A shop owner in the area said daytime footfall has all but disappeared, with only a few visitors returning in the evenings. She attributed the drop mainly to the rainy season low but acknowledged that the canal’s returning foul odour and murky water is also keeping tourists away. Chiang Mai Municipality is currently building a wastewater pumping station, and local residents hope the work will finish in time for high season so the water runs clear again.
Wisaka Panyachuay, deputy mayor of Chiang Mai Municipality, explained that the wastewater treatment system has been temporarily shut down during construction work to restore the canal and boost its capacity to drain water from the city centre, reducing flood risk.
The 497 million baht project, funded by the government and carried out jointly by the Wastewater Management Authority and Chiang Mai Municipality, covers upgrades to pumping stations 2 through 10 as well as new wastewater collection pipes along Atsadathon Road and Rachang Road up to Pratu Kom. The work aims to fix the water quality problem, improve the landscaping along both banks of the canal and increase drainage capacity for the city.
Rosarin Inthawong, acting manager of the Wastewater Management Office’s Chiang Mai branch, said construction on the pumping stations is now 95% complete and expected to finish soon.
