Large-scale gold mining is taking place beneath Bala Min Htin Bridge, a landmark spanning the Ayeyarwady River in Myitkyina, the capital of Kachin State, with flood prevention cited as justification.
Locals said they saw large dump trucks hauling away sediment excavated from the riverbed.
The soil is piled in a vacant lot near the state parliament and other sites, where the gold is extracted, with the operation shielded from public view by fences made of metal roof sheets.
“While there is strong public outcry over plans to build a dam in the Myitsone area, the source of the Ayeyarwady River, it is deeply frustrating to see such excessive gold mining taking place. The authorities themselves have granted permission, so there is little point in filing complaints,” said a Myitkyina resident.
Dump truck drivers earn 10,000 MMK per trip, encouraging them to drive faster to make more runs each day, with around 100 trucks involved in transporting the soil.
Alluvial gold mining beneath Bala Min Htin Bridge began last year and has expanded to a much larger scale this year, with flood prevention cited as justification.
On January 16, the junta controlling Myitkyina City announced that alluvial mining would help clear silt from the riverbed, improving water flow and preventing flooding.
Gold mining in the Ayeyarwady River including the area around Bala Min Htin Bridge, which connects Myitkyina to Waingmaw Town in Kachin State, has been banned by successive governments.
But in 2024, with the junta’s permission, several companies began mining gold beneath Bala Min Htin Bridge. Since then, gold mining has surged, while the junta has done nothing to enforce regulations, focusing only on collecting taxes from the operations.
Gold mining paused briefly around mid-2025 with the arrival of the rainy season but has since resumed on an even larger scale than before.
A local witness said that in the Ayeyarwady River sector of Mainhkain Ward, north of the bridge, gold mining operations have also increased, disguised as sand mining.
Currently, meetings are underway to plan the use of heavy machinery for expanding nighttime mining operations around Sitapu Ward in Myitkyina City, due to the high gold yield in the area.
Environmentalists said that rocks and resources like gold, rare earth metals, and gems cannot be replanted like crops or trees, they are formed by nature over countless years.
Therefore, these natural resources must be carefully conserved, and if mining is necessary, it should be conducted systematically to minimize negative impacts, they said.
The chemicals used in gold mining also have negative impacts on living organisms, the environment, and entire ecosystems.
Previously, Kachin State experienced floods roughly once every ten years, but ecological damage has made annual flooding likely from 2024 onward. The destruction of natural habitats has also pushed more wild animals, including venomous snakes, into human communities.
