Kaeng Krachan Plastic

03 Nov 2016 15:36 - 14 Nov 2016 19:06 #4016 by Geoff Potter
Kaeng Krachan Plastic was created by Geoff Potter
The park is open and unfortunately on my first trek upstream from KM 18 I encountered the results of the ill conceived "Small Dam" project built in April May this year. Apart from interfering with the natural flow of the river the dams were made of bamboo and plastic bags filled with sand and, as expected, they have mostly begun to collapse. Consequently the river is now strewn with plastic fertilizer bags from approximately 1KM upstream of KM 18 down to BK camp and I am wondering if the enthusiastic team of blue T shirted volunteers who built these things would now like to come back and clean it all up?
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03 Nov 2016 15:56 #4017 by rushenb
Replied by rushenb on topic Kraeng Kachan Plastic
Grrrr.. I had no part of dam building, but I have couple of blue shirts! :(

We cleaned up entire bit from around Pakarang up until km 17 only last season from those sacks. Hundreds of them.

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03 Nov 2016 16:02 - 03 Nov 2016 16:23 #4018 by Paul T
Replied by Paul T on topic Kraeng Kachan Plastic
On the positive side (if there can be one at all) the new Chief of KK has voiced his concerns over the construction of these check dams as well and their potential negatory affects on the movement of some aquatic species. He stopped these CSR initiatives of check dams some months ago already. Sadly a whole lot of them got built last year before he could act.

I have always questioned the use of the "structures"as many of them simply do not hold water, and when I saw them being built with sacks of dirt as their filling I was quite surprised. They were falling apart at the first big rains.

Anyone seen any literature of their construction and use?

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03 Nov 2016 18:12 #4021 by onflipflops
Replied by onflipflops on topic Kraeng Kachan Plastic
I doubt anything will happen unless someone informs the chief, or unless we organize another cleaning day ;-)
There is one big dam. All the small ones seem useless if you have one big dam. Trouble however is that the big dam is a major obstacle for any aquatic species to travel upstream. I do not know if any fish species require higher breeding grounds...

I do understand water management is needed to provide water for the camp ground. Perhaps better even to remove the big dam and create a series of a few small dams ... But obviously it would be nice if different materials were used that have a less ugly impact. And I doubt it is necessary to make these over such a long stretch of the stream.

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03 Nov 2016 18:49 #4022 by rushenb
Replied by rushenb on topic Kraeng Kachan Plastic
Well.. I already discussed about organizing another cleaning day with flipsflops. Perhaps better to announce it for discussion here. :)

I am always positive. I will be in Ban Krang tomorrow, and already was thinking to see how it looks in the river upstream from around Pakarang area (not wearing blue shirt if ok). This of course if it is easy to walk due to eventual overgrown vegetation, perhaps start some minor cleaning if the vegetation allows me to.

We could perhaps arrange a cleaning day with start from Phanoen Thung, down to km 18 one early Sunday morning? We all know how busy week-ends could be. I once walked km 30 to km 15, I know it is a very difficult walk!

Apart from next few days, this November I will be to Kaeng Krachan minimum 2 more times as two friends of mine will visit Kaeng Krachan at two different periods, dates not spiked yet. I also need to be in Phetchabun area around 5-6 day, so I can't do this month. But I am open for December/January. :)

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03 Nov 2016 19:01 #4023 by rushenb
Replied by rushenb on topic Kraeng Kachan Plastic
Mai just told me that various companies does support actions in national parks to get some credits. It looks like "dam building" thing is a popular thingy, this of course if I understand it right. So, the employees "volunteer" to come to the park and build these sack-dams, get a photo framed with rangers and so on..

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03 Nov 2016 21:43 #4024 by onflipflops
Replied by onflipflops on topic Kraeng Kachan Plastic
Might be true in some cases, though I remember that locals from near the park were building a dam around the closing date of the park. No idea who initiated it. But there was a 'party' and I guess it was partly to get the locals involved.

Sometimes it is school kids that do projects like planting trees or adding minerals to saltlicks etc. I guess in the end it doesn't matter for the companies whatever they donate, so the DNP should guide them a bit in what is welcome and what not.
If many companies want to do something it could cause some trouble. Though perhaps this system works. One company builds a dam or two. the next is asked to remove them, haha. And so on.

Much better would be if all those companies donated to a fund that gradually buys plots of land bordering a park. Slowly extending the park boundaries. But maybe that is asking for corruption...

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04 Nov 2016 08:26 #4025 by WT admin
Replied by WT admin on topic Kraeng Kachan Plastic
If we fancy a cleaning day, just let me know and I will get it approved by the park.

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04 Nov 2016 12:10 #4026 by Geoff Potter
Replied by Geoff Potter on topic Kraeng Kachan Plastic
I would be up for that, just give me a couple of days notice. I calculate there are approx 10 dams with 20 bags in each totaling 200 bags that eventually will be released into the water.

In any case I will be in there next week to try and pull as many as I can out of the river.

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04 Nov 2016 18:29 - 04 Nov 2016 18:33 #4027 by rushenb
Replied by rushenb on topic Kraeng Kachan Plastic
Deffo!.. I believe onflipflops had your phone, will borrow your number and give a buzz. :)

Arrived to Ban Krang, to my surprise no other tourists, the campsite war ours. So thought we for 30 minutes until 5-6 cars arrived, tents popped up like mushrooms next to our tent, pop, pop, pop.

I just read this article about Kaeng Krachan's World Heritage Site situation (back to square one);

www.bangkokpost.com/news/general/1127212...n-back-to-square-one

Cheers,

Rushen

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