Rubber factories may be an eyesore and an environmental concern for Mon State locals, but the chief minister said relocating all the plants away from residential neighborhoods will be impossible, even though that’s exactly what the state parliamentarians promised.
Mon State Chief Minister U Aye Zan told MPs on December 4 that moving factories from one area to another will not only be a logistical nightmare, but will also just shift the brunt of environmental worries from one neighborhood onto the next. He added that it’s better to address the underlying issues, such as waste water dumping, where the factories are presently located.
“If a factory is relocated to another area, the environment of the relocation area will be affected. If [the factory] is shut down, it may shut down the main economy of the Mon State. So we have to make changes systematically,” U Aye Zan said.
The chief minister has made boosting the rubber sector in Mon State a major policy priority, and has promised to provide funding to subsidize the creation of additional factories.
In an effort to mollify mounting concerns and complaints expressed by local residents, Mon State Hluttaw approved a proposal to relocate rubber factories away from residential areas on September 8. Sidestepping the MPs’ proposal, the state government instructed the factories to reduce emissions and properly dispose of waste instead.
Daw Mya Theingi Maw, the State Hluttaw MP from Mudon township – 1, said she did not find the hluttaw’s motion unreasonable or untenable.
“We didn’t demand the rubber factories to be shut down. We only demanded they relocate away from the public in consideration of the requests from the public,” she said.
Of the 37 rubber wholesale centers in Mon State, 10 are located in Mudon township, Daw Mya Theingi Maw’s constituency.
She said the local residents are fully aware that it is not in the state’s best interest to close down the industry. But they have valid concerns about waste water and foul smells, she added.
