Belt and Road road corridors put half of Myanmar’s population at risk
Belt and Road road corridors put half of Myanmar’s population at risk
Myanmar Times, 21 Feb 2018
URL: https://www.mmtimes.com/news/belt-and-road-road-corridors-put-half-myanmars-population-risk.html
The Belt and Road Initiative puts Myanmar’s natural capital and the lives and livelihoods of 24 million people - half of the country’s population - at risk, according to a report from World Wide Fund for Nature in Myanmar.
Road projects proposed as part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative would provide transport infrastructure to areas of the Ayeyarwady River Basin and surrounding mountain areas, which are home to approximately 24 million people – almost half of Myanmar’s national population. These people rely on natural capital, including forests, rivers, land and biodiversity, for a range of benefits, such as potable water and natural disaster mitigation.
We must better take into account information about the environment, when roads and other projects are planned and designed. - Sai Nay Won Myint, WWF.
“There is a risk that benefits of BRI road projects could be replaced by substantial social, environmental and economic costs, if roads are constructed in ways that fragments the ecosystems, endangers wildlife, or contributes to deforestation, landslides, and pollution. Through better planning and design, these risks can be avoided and mitigated,” Hanna Helsingen, green economy programme and policy manager at WWF-Myanmar commented. The report, released last month, seeks to provide a rapid assessment of Belt and Road-related opportunities and risks for Myanmar in terms of natural capital impacts and dependencies.
Vicky Bowman, director of Myanmar Centre for Responsible Business, said that issues could be avoided if infrastructure projects are planned and designed in line with Myanmar’s EIA framework, with assessments carried out in a manner which meets the standards of the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and World Bank, including undertaking meaningful consultation and revisions to prevent, reduce and mitigate impacts.
Road projects proposed as part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative would provide transport infrastructure to areas of the Ayeyarwady River Basin and surrounding mountain areas, which are home to approximately 24 million people – almost half of Myanmar’s national population. These people rely on natural capital, including forests, rivers, land and biodiversity, for a range of benefits, such as potable water and natural disaster mitigation.
We must better take into account information about the environment, when roads and other projects are planned and designed. - Sai Nay Won Myint, WWF.
“There is a risk that benefits of BRI road projects could be replaced by substantial social, environmental and economic costs, if roads are constructed in ways that fragments the ecosystems, endangers wildlife, or contributes to deforestation, landslides, and pollution. Through better planning and design, these risks can be avoided and mitigated,” Hanna Helsingen, green economy programme and policy manager at WWF-Myanmar commented. The report, released last month, seeks to provide a rapid assessment of Belt and Road-related opportunities and risks for Myanmar in terms of natural capital impacts and dependencies.
Vicky Bowman, director of Myanmar Centre for Responsible Business, said that issues could be avoided if infrastructure projects are planned and designed in line with Myanmar’s EIA framework, with assessments carried out in a manner which meets the standards of the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and World Bank, including undertaking meaningful consultation and revisions to prevent, reduce and mitigate impacts.