The local Karen community has called for an immediate halt to planned dam projects on the Thanlwin (Salween) River, as well as ongoing mining operations along the river that are contaminating and polluting its waters.

On March 14, the International Day of Action for Rivers, Karen environmental organizations, civil society groups, youth and student organizations, and local ethnic communities staged a campaign at a designated site along the Thanlwin River in Mutraw District. The event specifically highlighted concerns over river water contamination caused by mining activities.

The extraction of rare-earth minerals in northeastern Myanmar is accelerating rapidly, with illegal mining widespread. Consequently, pollution and toxic conditions in the Thanlwin and other regional rivers have worsened significantly this year, the campaign participants said.

Research by Chiang Mai University in Thailand found that levels of arsenic, lead, and mercury—minerals hazardous to human health—in the Thanlwin River are now 55 times higher than previously recorded, posing serious health risks to local indigenous communities.

Additionally, extensive illegal gold mining has altered the color of the Thanlwin River’s water and caused unexplained deaths of local fish species, raising serious concerns among residents.

Those concerned about the future of the Thanlwin River also strongly urged the ethnic governments and administrative councils operating during the current revolution, as well as resistance groups, to firmly oppose and halt projects destroying the river.

They also called on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the international community to take meaningful action against human rights abuses in the Myanmar conflict and to collaborate with local communities to prevent the overexploitation of natural resources.