On Kachin State Day, celebrated on January 10, local communities called for the complete abandonment of a massive China-backed hydroelectric dam project in the Myitsone area, where the mighty Ayeyarwady River originates and which is regarded as a natural landmark of Kachin State.

Nearly 80 residents from the towns and cities of Myitkyina, Sinbo, Talawgyi, Waingmaw, and Mogaung gathered at a site along the banks of the Ayeyarwady River to protest the Myitsone Dam project.

The appeal is intended to ensure that the junta-appointed Kachin State chief minister and other ministers understand local demands and take action to protect Myitsone, rally participants said.

“Myitsone is a well-known landmark and a historic place. If the dam is built, the entire ecosystem of the Myitsone area will be destroyed. That’s why we are calling on someone, such as the Kachin State chief minister to take the lead and inform the relevant authorities to protect Myitsone,” a participant told MNJ.

Efforts to ensure the continued existence of the Myitsone area, where the Ayeyarwady River originates, should not be the responsibility of local communities in Kachin State alone, but also of all those living along the river, locals pointed out.

A resident of Myitkyina, the capital of Kachin State, said that, according to traditional beliefs passed down through generations, rivers, mountains, and forests embody sacred deities and regarded as sources of positive energy that protect and bless the Kachin people.

“There are also concerns and beliefs that if Myitsone is destroyed, it could spell disaster for the Kachin people. On top of that, many people around the Myitsone Dam site rely on farming, fishing, and gathering forest products to make a living,” he said.

A resident of Myitkyina also said that while the junta has threatened action against anyone opposing the Myitsone Dam project, people feel compelled to take the risk of protesting, as doing nothing could endanger Myitsone.

“Should we really just stand by and do nothing? If we don’t protest, the situation will only worsen. Kachin State and many other parts of Myanmar could be submerged, putting the whole country in danger. Even though it’s risky, we feel we must take a stand and protest,” he explained.

The Myitsone Dam project site is located just about 100 kilometers from the well-known Sagaing fault line. If a major earthquake were to strike along the fault and the dam were to burst, Myitkyina City, situated south of the dam, could be flooded within minutes.

Experts estimate that if the Myitsone Dam were to burst, it could flood an area the size of Singapore and displace tens of thousands of people. Furthermore, if the dam is completed, it could significantly alter the biodiversity of the Ayeyarwady River and disrupt the lives of the communities that depend on it.

The Myitsone Dam project, which China plans to build in collaboration with the junta, is expected to be expanded from the original 6,000-megawatt plan to 56,000 megawatts, Deputy Junta Leader Vice Senior General Soe Win said during a visit to Myitkyina City on December 16.

The resistance-run National Unity Government (NUG) will work with all its allied forces to ensure that the Ayeyarwady River flows freely and uninterrupted forever, NUG spokesperson U Nay Phone Latt said on January 6.

The ecological damage caused by the Myitsone Dam project would be irreparable, the NUG has warned. It added that if the dam halts sediment transport, it could destroy the natural fertility of farmland in the Ayeyarwady Delta, where the river meets the sea, and that the altered flow patterns could allow seawater to intrude inland, devastating agricultural land.

The government under President U Thein Sein had decided to suspend the Myitsone project indefinitely, but a decade later, the junta has been attempting to revive it.