Myanmar’s lifeblood in peril
The Ayeyarwady River, dubbed the lifeblood of Myanmar and home to a threatened species of dolphin, is being suffocated by tonnes of plastic being dumped into it every day. It has been ranked the ninth most polluted river in the world, behind the Philippines’ Pasig and South America’s Amazon.
A study by Fauna & Flora International (FFI) and Thant Myanmar, a non-profit organisation combating plastic pollution in Myanmar, showed that 119 tonnes of plastic waste enter the river daily, based on water samples taken by experts along the Ayeyarwady from Mandalay to Pyay in Bago Region.
The Delta Region dumps the most plastic waste in the river each day, around 32 tonnes, and Yangon dumps about 29 tonnes of plastic a day in the river.
Kyaw Soe Htet
