Gold mining poses growing threat to Ayeyarwady River’s water quality: report

The quality of the water in the Ayeyarwady River and its tributaries has declined significantly due to unchecked gold mining since the military seized power four years ago, according to a new report by environmental monitor group Myanmar Resource Watch. The report, released on February 22, says that rampant post-coup gold extraction has drastically driven up lead, mercury, cadmium, and magnesium levels in the river, raising serious environmental and health concerns. Citing the group’s own research, the report says that laboratory analyses of 36 water samples reveal heavy metal levels far exceeding safe drinking standards, especially in areas near the river’s headwaters. Water samples were collected in both regime- and resistance-held territory and showed especially high levels of mercury, a Myanmar Resource Watch researcher told Myanmar Now. “Large amounts of mercury and cyanide are used in gold mining, which is why we conducted these tests primarily to assess mercury levels. These metals pose serious health risks, particularly to children and pregnant women,” she said. While samples were collected all along the river, including near the city of Pathein in Ayeyarwady Region, gold mining is primarily concentrated in the north, in Kachin State and Sagaing Region, where the damage has been most visible. In some areas, the water has turned murky and locals suffer from rashes and other skin conditions. Other environmental impacts have also been observed. According to the researcher, erosion caused by mining resulted in the collapse of a riverbank in Sagaing’s Homalin Township, forcing an entire village to relocate. “The situation may worsen in coming years, potentially resulting in more villages disappearing,” she said. Large-scale gold-mining operations are ongoing at the source of the Ayeyarwady River—the confluence of the N’Mai (May Kha) and Mali (Malikha) rivers, about 28 miles north of the Kachin State capital Myitkyina. Yup Zaw Hkwang, an ethnic Kachin jade tycoon with close ties to the Myanmar regime, is widely seen as a kingpin of these operations. Extensive mining activities in the area have altered the course of the Ayeyarwady River, resulting in island formation and riverbank erosion, according to a resident of Myitkyina. “Navigating the river has become increasingly perilous. The water is now muddier, and the river has narrowed in some areas, creating more dangerous stretches for boats,” he said. He also noted that fish are becoming increasingly scarce in the river, and are no longer regarded as safe to eat due to the mercury contamination from gold mining. As clashes continue across the country since the coup, the conservation of the Ayeyarwady River, Myanmar’s largest and most vital waterway, remains an urgent need, said the Myanmar Resource Watch researcher. “The Ayeyarwady River is our lifeblood, and its conservation is everyone’s responsibility. If we continue to prioritise short-term financial gains and act recklessly, or remain indifferent until the river’s decline directly affects us, the situation will worsen across all fronts,” she said. Meanwhile, fighting remains fierce in many areas along the river, as the regime and resistance forces compete for control of natural resource sites. Having lost control of several resource-rich territories, the junta issued a statement on February 20 warning would-be investors not to get involved in mining activities in resistance-held areas.

Gold mining poses growing threat to Ayeyarwady River’s water quality: report

Dangerously high levels of mercury and other heavy metals have been detected in the river as mining goes unchecked in the wake of the February 2021 coup

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