海外「望まない洗濯」

The slow response by local governments is controversial as there is still a village in the southern central plateau province of Gongtum, where residents still cross the Pokocheon Stream, which is about 100m wide by hand-made simple ropeways for their lives.

　Crossing the river by ropeway is a resident of the third settlement of Playcan Town, Gokhoi County, where concrete piles were driven on both sides of the river about a decade ago and cables 16mm thick were drawn. The cables are equipped with pulleys and simple steel-frame baskets, and people use the baskets to move around using the height difference between the two sides.

　Many people in the village run farms on the other side of the river, so they can’t even work without crossing the river. There is a railroad bridge at the end of the mountain road, but the mountain road is narrow and slippery on rainy days. The land route is tens of kilometers away from the village. In the dry season, the rocky surface can be seen in the river flowing under the ropeway, and when heavy rain falls during the rainy season, the water rises and becomes a torrential current. Two accidents have occurred on the ropeway over the past 10 years, but fortunately, it was not a matter of human involvement.

　Nguyen Suan Huong, president of the Placan Town People’s Committee, said the ropeway was made by residents voluntarily to go to the farm and was unsafe and did not recommend it as a town. It has also called for the government to stop using ropeways and cross suspension bridges built by the government.

　The town’s People’s Committee is also discussing a temporary construction of a wooden bridge with a company contracting to build hydroelectric power in the area, the sources said.