Phu Kradung's 3.8km cable-car route settled

A final route has been selected for a cable-car service to be built in Phu Kradung National Park in Loei province, the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) announced yesterday. The 3.8-kilometre path is said to pose the least threat to the surrounding environment of the proposed routes.

The route begins in the foothills at Ban Sri Than and climbs 1,316 metres to a spot called Lang Pae, on Phu Kradung Mountain's flat top. Areas of the local waterways that would need to be dredged are limited to two sites measuring 3.66 rai and 4.03 rai, out of the mountain's total 37,500-rai (6,000-hectare) area, said DNP deputy director-general Rerngchai Prayoonwej.

The route was chosen because it would require the least amount of dredging and would not involve the felling of any rare trees, Rerngchai said. A mandatory environmental-impact study will be conducted soon and final approval sought from the Cabinet, he said.

A makeshift cable shuttle will be built to facilitate construction, and some construction material will be airlifted by helicopter. He said a revolving type of cable car has been selected with capacity for six passengers. The same model is used in South Africa.

Environmentalists have campaigned against efforts to build a cable-car service, saying it would damage the natural surroundings while undermining Phu Kradung appeal as a trekking spot, not to mention eliminating the jobs of porters who carry trekkers' luggage.

But Rerngchai said the porters would be offered jobs as cable-car operators and tour guides, and pointed out that trekkers could still opt to go up and down the mountain on foot. The cable-car service would make maintenance and garbage disposal easier, too, he added.

Sasin Chalermlarp, who heads the Seub Nakasathien Foundation, said the DNP's decision must have been made "in a hurry", as the topic was not concluded at a joint meeting he had with DNP officials last month.

"There will be other environmental studies, which have yet to be discussed or finalised; had a written statement over the final route been sent to us, we could have had some input in this decision," he said.

Certain steps would need to be taken in preparation for the new service, Rerngchai said. These include determining the number of tourists allowed in to the site, and designating locations for camping, along with preparations to accommodate visitors of various ages and the provision of emergency and other medical services.