Nisakorn Kositrat, the office's secretary-general, said she would soon propose to the National Environment Board that EIAs be carried out for all such projects.

Many four-lane roadways slated for construction will block natural waterways, damage forested areas and threaten wildlife, she said.

One of the most contentious projects is the extension of the Kabin Buri-Pak Thong Chai Road, from two lanes to four, she said.

The proposed road cuts through four kilometres of the Khao Yai and Tap Lan national parks, which were listed as World Heritage Areas by the United Nations last year.

National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department director-general Damrong Pidtech said he had repeatedly asked the Highways Department to stop building the road and redesign the project to lessen its impact on wildlife, but the department had refused.

He said the department told him it could do nothing to stop the project because work had already started and the budget had been spent.

Damrong said he was receiving reports of animals killed along the road every day.

As the law currently stands, only A-1 roads in watersheds, considered the most fragile ecosystems, are required to carry out EIAs before they are approved.

For all four-lane roads to be included, the 1992 Environmental Protection Act would need to be amended.

Janjira Pongrai

The Nation