The excessive extraction of natural resources without any conservation efforts may lead to strong opposition between locals and entrepreneurs as well as inciting social conflicts, said Ohn Win, Union Minister for Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation, at a workshop on the environmental impact assessment in the mining sector, at the Horizon Hotel in Nay Pyi Taw on November 5.

“Lack of systematic mining industries may result in water, air and soil pollution and has an impact on socio-economic status of the people,” he added.

For the sustainable development of mining resources, the mining exploration should take account of the habits of reducing the number of environmental conservation problems. It would result in the long-term environmental conservation, he continued.

Mining exploration, commercial extraction and refining works have to take time. These works have long-term impacts on environments.

It needs to put the tasks to reduce environmental and social impacts to a certain extent and ensure the sustainable development, he said.

Drafting environmental impact assessments for the mining sector will give easy guidelines for the assessments of environmental impact assessments and help support coordination with locals.