HPAKANT: Hpakant Township MP U Thet Paing Htoo has warned that Hpakant town could be buried under mining waste dumps during the upcoming rainy season if unregulated jade mining and the indiscriminate disposal of mining waste are not stopped in time.
He made the remarks during a Pyithu Hluttaw (People’s Assembly) session on November 6, while asking whether the government planned to prohibit large- and medium-scale mining in Hpakant and instead allow small-scale and artisanal mining under proper regulations.
According to U Thet Paing Htoo, although residents who wish to mine legally have not been granted permission, illegal mining activities have continued unabated. Taking advantage of instability in the area and weak monitoring and enforcement, operators are openly using heavy machinery to extract jade on a massive scale.
He said that although jade mining has officially been suspended, the authorities have failed to effectively prevent illegal operations. As a result, natural resources are not being protected, local people's economic hardships remain unresolved, and the government is losing substantial tax revenue.
He added that illegal miners are earning within one or two years what the government might otherwise generate in revenue over approximately 10 years.
He also warned that uncontrolled mining and waste disposal have caused major streams in Hpakant to become increasingly silted up, obstructing water flows and worsening flooding. Residential areas have also been severely affected by mining waste.
"If this situation is not addressed in time, Hpakant town could end up buried beneath mining waste dumps during the coming rainy season, potentially reaching an alarming and dangerous situation," he said.
He stressed that restoring stability and ensuring the rule of law in the region were urgent priorities for effectively stopping illegal mining, protecting Hpakant town from being buried under mining waste, and safeguarding the livelihoods and socioeconomic security of local residents.
He further urged the country's leaders to take the serious difficulties faced by Hpakant residents into consideration and urgently implement measures to restore peace and stability, saying that many people in the township were living in constant fear and insecurity. - Eleven Media/ANN
