Kaeng Krachan road project kicks off despite concerns

Kaeng Krachan National Park chief Mana Permpoon yesterday provided an update on the Bt67-million Ban Krang-Panoen Thung Road improvement project inside the national park in Phetchaburi. A contractor has already been selected and a road survey will begin at the start of next month, he said.
Concurrently, around 30 Phetchaburi residents, who are worried about the environmental damage the project will cause, gathered at Phetchaburi City Hall to submit a petition to the provincial governor asking that the project be reconsidered.
Yet the park chief is adamant.
“There is a necessity to repair and pave all stretches of the road with concrete, so as to ensure the safety for the commuters, tourists and national park officers,” Mana said. “The existing dirt road is severely damaged and very dangerous for travellers.”
He explained that the EIA report has not been done for the project “because there are the exemptions in the national park law and the Cabinet Resolution of 2007, so the project can start without studying [environmental impacts]”.
It is the duty of Kaeng Krachan National Park to work on the project given that the project has already been approved by an advisory committee, the provincial authority and the National Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department, he insisted.
He acknowledged the concerns locals and environmentalists have about the Ban Krang-Panoen Thung Road cutting through the lush rainforest and the potential environmental impacts it may have on its fragile ecosystem. Measures will be taken to mitigate the adverse impacts from the project, he promised.
“After the road is completed, speed-control measures will be put in place to reduce the risk to wildlife and to travellers themselves from traffic accidents. There will also be a transportation limit on the road, as no more than 250 cars will be allowed to use the road each day.”
The road-improvement project will affect the entire 18.5 kilometres of Ban Krang-Panoen Thung Road, which is the only access road to the national park’s prominent scenic attraction at Panoen Thung Mountain.
Jamlong Wilailert, a representative of Kaeng Krachan Forest Protection Network, said the public was concerned over the lack of information about the road reconstruction project, as well as the avoidance of public participation in the original proposal. He urged the national park to clearly clarify the project’s details and listen to people’s opinions and concerns.
Phetchaburi’s Deputy Governor Natavudh Petchpromsorn said he had just recently become aware about people’s concerns about the project. As the project has already been approved, the best solution would be for both sides in the dispute to discuss constructively and find a mutual solution, he said. 
The local authority was more than ready to facilitate a reconciliation effort, he offered.