Thai mine ‘destroyed Myanmar water sources’
People in Heinda district in Myanmar’s Tanintharyi Region have been deprived of clean water, amid claims that a tin mine operated by a Thai firm has contaminated the river and water sources with heavy metals. Looking out from the local temple, Myaung Pyo seems like a normal rural village. However, just below the thin green line at the back of homes, there is a vast barren area that stretches until the foot of a mountain. This kilometre-wide barren strip was where the Myaung Pyo River once flowed, alongside lush village farms. The villagers all say the cause of this devastated landscape is the Heinda tin mine on the upper reach of the river. Tailings from the mine have drained directly into the river for many years, clogging it with a large amount of sediment and contaminating the village’s water sources with heavy metals from the mine.
