Mr. Suwit Khunkitti, the minister of Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE), together with Mr. Saksit Tridech, Permanent Secretary of MNRE, went to observe and investigate two big sinkholes that took place in the middle of cassava field of Mrs. Thongsuk Chobrak in Nongrang Village, Tambol Kangploo, Nonethai District, Nakhonratchasima Province. This field visit of MNRE administration was welcomed by Mr. Prayad Charoensri, vice governor of Nakhonratchasima Province, Mr. Sawad Thanadka, Regional Environmental Office 11, Mr. Kittipong Tang-amornsatid, director of Nakhonratchasima Provincial Natural Resources and Environment Office, and Mr. Adichat Surinkam, Director of Environmental Geology and Geological Disaster Division of Department of Mineral Resources (DMR). For this event, the MNRE minister, the MNRE secretary, and specialists from DMR held a meeting to listen to people from the affected area for about 500 persons at the meeting room of Nonethai Kuru Uppatham 2 School. The meeting derived a conclusion that MNRE minister had given a policy to the governor of Nakhonratchasima Province to stop pumping water for salt in areas around the sinkholes for 3 months. During this period, DMR was assigned to investigate scientifically and present the results together with further solutions to the problem.
     From this field visit of the two large sinkholes, Mr. Suwit Khunkitti, MNRE minister revealed that MNRE, by DMR, and Ministry of Industry had sent skillful geologists who were specialized in soil structure of the earth to investigate and observe the phenomenon thoroughly. The investigation found that this area used to have problem from a big sinkhole before. However, this sinking of the earth that caused 2 large sinkholes had taken place for the first time. The first sinkhole, happened on 2 January 2010, was relatively much larger, with a width of 30 meters and a depth of 10 meters. The second sinkhole, being less than 10 meters away from the first sinkhole, collapsed on 2 February 2010, measured 4.30-meter width, and 5-meter depth. This sinking of the earth surface was found to be caused by excessive pumping of groundwater that led to imbalance of groundwater. The imbalance can result in a hole under the soil. After the hole gets big enough and the soil layer on top of the hole gets too thin to withstand the soil weight, such these sinkholes can then happen.