Gold mining has increased more significantly since last year in the biodiversity area of Indawgyi Lake in Kachin State, according to local residents and environmentalists.
It has increased gradually since January last year with backhoes coming to several villages and other small creeks and ditches with prospect of gold.
“Gold mining has increased much since political changes. I think there are hundreds or a thousand of backhoes. The main thing is that the lake is drying up. In a decade, soils have been thrown into a three mile stretch of the lake. There is large amount of silt. Fishermen are facing fish shortages. There are also illegal logging and firewood gathering. For these things, authorities as well as armed groups like KIA (Kachin Independence Army) are responsible. The environmental issue is everyone’s concern,” said a man working on the protection of the biodiversity area of the lake.
Gold mining began in Indawgyi region after 2000. Since then, there have been such consequences as damaged forests and farmlands and depleting fish species. Moreover, local people around the area had to stop their reliance on the lake for drinking water.
“Here, 10% of gold mining is being done by the local villagers, about 50% by those from other regions. There are hundreds of backhoes. Some have acquired much gold while some have got nothing. Drug abuse is everywhere. With excessive mining, we can no longer drink water from the lake. Locals daren’t speak out despite their losses. It has been long since we started buying farmed fish, the man continued.
Indawgyi Lake was designated as Indawgyi, a Wildlife Sanctuary (1999), an ASEAN Heritage Park (2004), an Asian – Australasian flyway partnership site (2014), a Ramsar site (2016), and a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve (2017) as well as Key Biodiversity Areas (KBA) and Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA). It is the largest inland lake in Myanmar.
Indawgyi Wildlife Sanctuary has 37 mammal species, over 450 bird species, 88 amphibian species, 80 fish species, 50 butterfly species, 85 spices of trees, 56 species of herbal plants, 11 bamboo species, 14 grass species and 70 orchid species.
