Mechanized gold mining pollutes water, increases erosion risks in Kachin State

Mechanized gold mining along a key creek in Machanbaw Township, Kachin State, has severely polluted local water supplies and increased risks of riverbank erosion, leaving residents in two northern villages without access to clean household water, local sources reported Wednesday. Since August, gold mining operators using heavy machinery have been extracting alluvial gold directly along Hsinlongdam Creek, which runs through Hsinlongdam Village. The operations have turned the water muddy and unusable for bathing, washing, and daily domestic needs. “We depend on the creek even more during summer and winter because village wells often dry up,” said a 40-year-old resident. “Over the past few days, the water has become so polluted that we can no longer use it.” Residents warn that continuous heavy equipment usage is accelerating soil erosion along the creek banks, threatening to destabilize nearby homes. The pollution has also impacted downstream Hkankyo Village, which relies on the same water source. Locals alleged that the mining operators obtained permission from the Machanbaw military garrison, the township General Administration Department (GAD), and the village administrator. However, the Kachin News Group could not independently verify these claims. The current wave of extraction follows years of environmental damage in the region. Unregulated gold mining in 2024 and 2025 destroyed approximately two-thirds of Hsinlongdam’s surrounding farmland. Across Putao District, small-scale mining that began in 2023 has rapidly expanded into large-scale, heavy-machinery operations targeting residential areas, agricultural fields, and waterways. Environmental degradation and unregulated resource extraction have surged across Kachin State—including Putao, Danai, Myitkyina, Monghnyin, Shwegu, and Mansi townships—in the wake of Myanmar’s 2021 military coup, with Putao District suffering some of the most severe ecological impacts.