Gold mining operations using heavy machinery have begun in tributaries near Nammun Town within the Indawgyi Lake area in Mohnyin Township, Kachin State.
Businessmen are carrying out large-scale gold mining operations with backhoes and excavators in an area about a mile north of Nammun Town and along nearby streams and tributaries, according to locals.
“I heard that areas for gold mining are being marked out from the headwaters of the streams down to the section near Natkyikone Ward in Nammun Town. Some farmland and plantations have also been bought by mining operators for gold extraction,” a Nammun resident said.
Gold mining is starting to pollute local water sources. In previous years, only small-scale mining was carried out at the headwaters of the streams, but over the past two months, heavy machinery–based operations have begun.
Locals are concerned that excessive gold mining could damage the ecosystem, including the drying up of streams and rivers, the loss of farmland, and potential flooding.
“The gold miners even wanted to remove the Nammun Dam at the headwaters of the creeks to mine gold there. They offered to rebuild a new one elsewhere, but the local farmers refused. There were some disputes, but it was eventually resolved,” a young man from the town said.
In recent years, flooding caused by deforestation has damaged farmland and roads around Nammun Town.
