Young environmentalists are calling on the government to curb mining projects in southern Myanmar after a massive landslide killed at least 75 people.
Heavy seasonal rains that flooded communities in Mon state caused part of Malat mountain to collapse on August 9, smothering homes in Paung township’s Ye Pyar Gone village.
But activists say widespread deforestation to clear the path for mines and plantations is to blame because it quickens soil erosion and removes a natural barrier—trees and plants—to slow water as it runs off the land.
Kyaw Ye Htet, 21, founder of Strike for Climate Myanmar, a youth movement campaigning for climate action, cited an October, 2017 report by the Network for Social Development and Peace that warned of environmental dangers posed by quarry mining in Paung township.
“Civil society organisations have done their work, but government officials did not respect their voices and failed to prepare for coming disasters,” Kyaw Ye Htet told Myanmar Mix.
“The government needs to immediately stop projects that cause environmental breakdown and climatic disorder.”
Dozens more bodies may still be buried under the mud at Ye Pyar Gone village. Meanwhile, a government geological team said there is no risk of further landslides in the area, reported Frontier magazine, despite some residents wanting to leave.
This month, flooding forced more than 80,000 people to shelter at evacuation sites across the country, according to the UN.
Floods and droughts are becoming more regular in Myanmar, which some studies identified as the world’s second most vulnerable country to extreme weather events.
From 2017-2018, 2,511 natural disasters were recorded in Myanmar—an increase of 879 compared to the previous year—while casualties in the incidents over the same period rose from 518 to 554, according to the Central Statistical Organisation.
The government should implement policies to tackle the climate crisis and “is accountable for what they do regarding environmental degradation,” said Kyaw Ye Htet.
“Since the climate crisis is the most dangerous thing we are facing, we, the people, must ask the government to protect us from it,” he said. “Globally, we are at the edge. If we cannot end the climate crisis, it will end us.”
Myanmar Forest Association secretary Tin Aye agreed with the assessment that mining causes landslides in Mon state.
“These incidents happened due to the weakness of authorities against the responsible companies, allowing them to mine without an end or limit,” he said.
Environmental experts should create a national plan “not based on the perspective of one person with authority,” he said.
Deforestation across Myanmar exacerbates the impact of flooding, he added, explaining that in Mon state some rubber plants should be replaced with bamboo or grass to improve the soil.
“It would be a recreation of the closet thing to a natural forest,” he said.
