"Yotchanant" Presents Thai Research Innovation to Resolve Kok River Arsenic Crisis, Highlights "Synchrotron-NANOTECH-AquaNano" Technology to Purify 100% of Toxins and Restore Clean Tap Water to Communities, Stresses Long-Term Solution Must Address the Source of Contamination
On 29 August 2026, at the Jim City Community Hall, Rim Kok Sub-district, Mueang District, Chiang Rai Province, Prof. Dr. Yotchanant Wongsawat, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation (MHESI), together with Mr. Thanarat Jongsutha-namani, Member of Parliament for Mueang Chiang Rai District from the Pheu Thai Party, made a joint field visit to monitor efforts to resolve the arsenic contamination problem in the Kok River — a chronic issue that has long affected the health, confidence, and livelihoods of the people of Chiang Rai.
The Ministry of MHESI has deployed synchrotron light and nanotechnology to accelerate research and successfully develop a water filtration and treatment system for arsenic-contaminated water, capable of transforming raw Kok River water into clean tap water and drinking water that is 100% safe. The system is being promoted for its key strengths: low cost, genuinely scalable to the local level, and immediately deployable by community waterworks systems across the country.
Prof. Dr. Yotchanant emphasized: "The problem of arsenic contamination in the Kok River, Chiang Rai Province, is something we cannot afford to be complacent about. Although the most durable solution is to prevent the river from being contaminated at its source, while that upstream management has yet to be achieved, the people must have access to clean water for daily consumption and use. We have therefore put into real practice the MHESI policy of applying science, research, and technology to solve the hardships faced by our fellow citizens — by developing a filtration system that is easily accessible, affordable, and within reach of village waterworks, so that every area and every local authority can immediately deploy it to solve the problem.
Because water is the lifeblood of our fellow citizens — water is the foundation of agriculture and of trust in everything. I want every sector within MHESI to help one another. Today we have extensive knowledge in water quality improvement, particularly in addressing the arsenic problem. MHESI alone cannot do a great deal; we are the research arm and must rely on the strength of local communities. But we are firmly committed to the belief that we all want to help our fellow Thais, so let us work together. MHESI has several models to choose from in order to elevate the quality of life of our fellow citizens.
Most importantly, all of this technology is the work that Thai researchers have conceived and built themselves, using primarily domestic materials. In addition to reducing costs and enabling self-reliance, it also opens the door to turning the arsenic crisis into an opportunity — by strengthening Thailand's water technology to the point where it becomes an innovation for solving water quality problems that can be exported and sold to the world in the future."
Regarding the arsenic water treatment filtration innovations, MHESI has delivered two main systems:
1. A system for treating and reducing arsenic and heavy metal contamination in water sources for consumption and daily use, employing synchrotron light technology and nanotechnology with a three-stage filtration process (sand-anthracite, activated carbon, and HAIX-Fe resin). It is capable of capturing 100% of arsenic. The resin can be regenerated and reused for as long as 4–5 years, significantly reducing long-term operational costs.
2. AquaNano — a drinking water production and filtration machine, a nanotechnology-level innovation complete with a water quality monitoring system, designed to produce clean and safe drinking water for communities.
At the same occasion, the Ministry of MHESI held a formal handover ceremony to transfer the water filtration systems to community leaders in the area, as follows: Ban Farm Samphannakit, Village No. 6, Rim Kok Sub-district, Mueang District, received the arsenic treatment and contamination reduction system and the AquaNano machine, accepted by Mr. Suphan Tha-ui, the village headman; Ban Mueang Ngim, Rim Kok Sub-district, Mueang District, received the model village waterworks production system for arsenic removal, accepted by Mr. Amnat Atsawawong, the Rim Kok Sub-district headman; and Ban Rim Kok, Rim Kok Sub-district, Mueang District, received the model village waterworks production system for arsenic removal, accepted by Mr. Thawatchai Montreekul, the village headman — all to be installed and used to resolve the problem and provide lasting peace of mind to the local population.
