Chiang mai: The Chiang Mai Municipality has taken an innovative step to address the issue of water hyacinths in the city moat by releasing a group of geese for a trial period of seven days. This initiative aims to naturally eliminate plankton and duckweed from the water, drawing significant public attention as people gather to capture moments with the geese.

According to Thai News Agency, the geese were released in the inner moat area near the Chiang Mai Gate Market. The presence of the geese has quickly turned into a local attraction, with many, especially children, flocking to take photos. The municipality has been proactive in building a temporary shelter for the geese and ensuring their safety with close supervision from officials. The trial will last a week, and if successful, more geese may be introduced.

The novelty of seeing geese in this area has piqued the interest of both locals and tourists. Many visitors have been spotted lying on the ground to get unique photos, while others stop their vehicles to capture the scene. To ensure the safety and well-being of the geese, the municipality has put up signs requesting the public and tourists not to feed, tease, or startle the geese and to avoid littering in the water.

Mr. Chakkupal Thananchai, Head of the Chiang Mai Municipality’s Architecture Department, provided details about the project. He stated that the 10 geese, consisting of three males and seven females, are part of a natural water treatment experiment. The stagnant nature of the moat water can lead to the buildup of plankton and duckweed, making this intervention necessary. The geese have been provided with shelter from rain, and officials are monitoring their activities to prevent them from wandering onto roads. A reassessment will be conducted after the trial period to evaluate the effectiveness of this method.