Kayin State villagers are lobbying local authorities not to renew the license of a stone quarry they claim has had deleterious affects on the local environment.
The Taung Ka Lay taung quarry, located between Kawt Yin village and Naung Kyan village in Hpa-an township, had its license extended for one year in February 2016, according to Saw Zar Li, a local resident. He said to preserve the environment the permit should not be renewed.
“Two-fifths of the mountain has already been extracted,” he said. “Since our ancestors’ time, there was a tunnel through the mountain that local people used to carry paddy and travel from one side to the other. But due to the mining, the entrance of that tunnel has been closed. We’d like to see the mountain returned to its natural state in the future.”
He added that 30 acres of farmland around the quarry has been ruined, allegedly due to pollution from the mining.
Ahead of the expiration of the quarry’s permit, upper Kawt Yin village tract officials brought their concerns to the village administrator’s office. Locals say currently, no extraction work is going on at the quarry.
Saw Shwe Thein, the administrator of Upper Kawt Yin village told KIC, “[The quarry] has been stopped. The business owners have already submitted their application to the respective government department requesting their permit be renewed for another year. We will have to observe the project and see if there is a mutual benefit. The most important thing to consider is the locals’ opinion of the project.”
According to area residents, when the quarry is active, explosions occur throughout the day and shake nearby houses. A monastery built on the mountain’s western slope had its roof reportedly blown off by such an explosion.
Kayin State villagers are lobbying local authorities not to renew the license of a stone quarry they claim has had deleterious affects on the local environment.
The Taung Ka Lay taung quarry, located between Kawt Yin village and Naung Kyan village in Hpa-an township, had its license extended for one year in February 2016, according to Saw Zar Li, a local resident. He said to preserve the environment the permit should not be renewed.
“Two-fifths of the mountain has already been extracted,” he said. “Since our ancestors’ time, there was a tunnel through the mountain that local people used to carry paddy and travel from one side to the other. But due to the mining, the entrance of that tunnel has been closed. We’d like to see the mountain returned to its natural state in the future.”
He added that 30 acres of farmland around the quarry has been ruined, allegedly due to pollution from the mining.
Ahead of the expiration of the quarry’s permit, upper Kawt Yin village tract officials brought their concerns to the village administrator’s office. Locals say currently, no extraction work is going on at the quarry.
Saw Shwe Thein, the administrator of Upper Kawt Yin village told KIC, “[The quarry] has been stopped. The business owners have already submitted their application to the respective government department requesting their permit be renewed for another year. We will have to observe the project and see if there is a mutual benefit. The most important thing to consider is the locals’ opinion of the project.”
According to area residents, when the quarry is active, explosions occur throughout the day and shake nearby houses. A monastery built on the mountain’s western slope had its roof reportedly blown off by such an explosion.
Edited by Laignee Barron for BNI
