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(MoeMaKa), July 19, 2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Myanmar’s ongoing civil war has accelerated the overexploitation of natural resources and environmental degradation. With governance and the rule of law weakened\u2014or virtually absent in some areas\u2014unchecked extraction of minerals, timber, and other resources has intensified.<\/p>\n\n\n\n News reports regularly highlight mechanized gold mining in rivers and streams, which has caused waterways to silt up and change course. Combined with increasingly heavy monsoon rains, these alterations have contributed to more frequent flooding in Kachin, Sagaing, Shan State, and Tanintharyi. Such reports have become a recurring feature of every rainy season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hpakant in Kachin State offers one of the clearest examples. Despite five years of widespread armed conflict, jade mining has not declined. Instead, extraction has intensified even as fighting has spread across the country. Fatal landslides and floods at jade mines, claiming the lives of scavengers searching for jade, have become tragically routine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Just recently, reports indicated that seven jade scavengers went missing after another landslide in Hpakant. Landslides have become so common that they no longer surprise the public, and the repeated loss of lives has sadly become almost ordinary news.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Since the 2021 military coup, regulation and oversight of jade mining in Hpakant have largely disappeared. At the same time, armed groups fighting the war have increased taxation to finance weapons, ammunition, and supplies, while often overlooking unrestricted resource extraction that generates revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Although numerous military checkpoints tightly control movement and collect taxes, fuel and heavy machinery used for jade mining continue to reach Hpakant without major difficulty. Despite higher transportation costs, mining companies continue operating aggressively, ensuring that fuel and equipment remain available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Beyond jade, eastern Kachin State and areas of eastern Shan State controlled by the United Wa State Army (UWSA) have become major centers for rare earth mining. Rare earth minerals are essential components in modern technology and advanced military equipment. Their extraction involves clearing forests, excavating hillsides, and injecting chemical solutions into the ground. While this process has contaminated soil and water, mining operations continue largely uninterrupted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Although Chinese companies provide much of the investment and technology behind Myanmar’s rare earth industry, local authorities controlling these territories\u2014including the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and UWSA\u2014have struggled to prevent environmental damage and water pollution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The environmental impacts in Kachin remain relatively underreported. However, pollution from rare earth mining in eastern Shan State has crossed national borders into Thailand. Toxic contamination has become severe enough to visibly affect fish populations in the Salween River and other waterways. Concern over these impacts has prompted environmental activists in Thailand to stage protests outside the Chinese Consulate, arguing that Chinese-backed mining projects are responsible for the pollution affecting Thai communities. While Myanmar also bears responsibility, the limited authority exercised by the central military government over these border regions has further complicated efforts to regulate mining.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tanintharyi Region represents another area where civil war has fueled excessive mineral extraction. Although mining existed around Dawei long before the conflict intensified, operations were previously subject to greater legal oversight. Over the past five years, however, mining has expanded dramatically, causing serious damage to rivers, streams, and agricultural land. Local residents have been reluctant to criticize any armed group responsible for these activities, fearing retaliation in the absence of effective rule of law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In northern Kachin State, environmental destruction extends well beyond Hpakant. Gold mining and rare earth extraction have spread into areas near the headwaters of the Ayeyarwady River north of Myitkyina, as well as many other locations. Reports on social media describe farmland and orchards being purchased and converted into gold mining sites, with such activities even reaching remote areas like Putao.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Neighboring Sagaing Region faces similar problems. Mechanized gold mining has expanded along the upper Chindwin River and into reservoirs and inland areas far from major rivers, damaging water resources and farmland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Beyond mining, Sagaing Region and northern Magway Region are also confronting extensive deforestation. Protected forests, including the Alaungdaw Kathapa Wildlife Sanctuary, are believed to have suffered significant destruction, although the full extent remains unclear due to limited access and monitoring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some environmental damage can eventually be repaired. However, the destruction of forests and river systems often causes irreversible losses. These long-term impacts threaten biodiversity, livelihoods, agriculture, and the environmental foundations on which future generations will depend.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Myanmar Spring Chronicle \u2013 Scenes from July 18 (MoeMaKa), July 19, 2026 Civil War, Resource Overexploitation, and Environmental Destruction Myanmar’s ongoing civil war has accelerated the overexploitation of natural resources and environmental degradation. With governance and the rule of law…<\/p>\nCivil War, Resource Overexploitation, and Environmental Destruction<\/h2>\n\n\n\n