Sagaing authorities start gold mine clampdown
Sagaing Region authorities in Myanmar are launching a crackdown on small-scale gold mines that, they say, contribute to environmental degradation. But concern is growing that larger companies, which are licensed at the level of the Union government, may be allowed to continue operating. Sagaing Region was among the 12 states and regions afflicted by last year’s heavy flooding, particularly around Kawlin and Shwebo. Part of the cause of the flooding was forest depletion, as well as the silting of rivers and streams because of waste dumping from mines.
