Rock Quarry Sites in Mon Increase to 40,000 This Year
Rock Quarry Sites in Mon Increase to 40,000 This Year
Myanmar Times, 31 Dec 2018
URL: https://www.mmtimes.com/news/rock-quarry-sites-mon-increase-40000-year.html
The number of rock quarry sites in Mon State increased to 40,000 this year, raising concerns about possible adverse effects on the environment, a senior official of the state parliament said.
U Aung Kyaw Thu, chair of the state Hluttaw’s Public Budget, Financial Planning and Business Review Committee, said the number is based on a count of all quarry sites made by the committee in July this year.
“Last year, there were about 2000 quarry sites in Mon, according to a list submitted by the companies,” he said.
“We found out about non-listed quarry sites and pressed the companies to submit the list to the state government. The number of quarry sites increased to over 40,000 this year.”
More than 100 quarry sites – including 22 in Paung Township and 48 in Kyaikto Township – have sprung up in recent years near the mountains in Mon, according to U Aye Zan, chief minister of the state.
“Local residents have been protesting against the opening of rock mining companies since 2014. The state government checked the companies’ activities and is ready to take action against illegal operations,” he said.
In August 2014, residents of Kyaikto submitted petitions with over 2500 signatures to the government to protest quarry operations in their township. Another petition was submitted in December 2015 and a third was sent in January 2016.
Hundreds of Mon residents staged a protest last week demanding the immediate closure of what they claim is a harmful rock quarry.
Residents of Oke Ta Daw village in Paung alleged that the quarry is not only noisy, but had also damaged farmland, orchards, streams, roads and drains.
“If the companies submit their operations in detail, the state government could negotiate a win-win solution with residents,” U Aye Zan said.
The state government has banned the use of explosives in quarries, and residents can inform on companies that violate this regulation, said Colonel Nay Htut Oo, state minister for Security and Border Affairs.
According to the state government, 121 companies had permission for rock mining in Mon in the 2017-2018 budget year.
U Aung Kyaw Thu, chair of the state Hluttaw’s Public Budget, Financial Planning and Business Review Committee, said the number is based on a count of all quarry sites made by the committee in July this year.
“Last year, there were about 2000 quarry sites in Mon, according to a list submitted by the companies,” he said.
“We found out about non-listed quarry sites and pressed the companies to submit the list to the state government. The number of quarry sites increased to over 40,000 this year.”
More than 100 quarry sites – including 22 in Paung Township and 48 in Kyaikto Township – have sprung up in recent years near the mountains in Mon, according to U Aye Zan, chief minister of the state.
“Local residents have been protesting against the opening of rock mining companies since 2014. The state government checked the companies’ activities and is ready to take action against illegal operations,” he said.
In August 2014, residents of Kyaikto submitted petitions with over 2500 signatures to the government to protest quarry operations in their township. Another petition was submitted in December 2015 and a third was sent in January 2016.
Hundreds of Mon residents staged a protest last week demanding the immediate closure of what they claim is a harmful rock quarry.
Residents of Oke Ta Daw village in Paung alleged that the quarry is not only noisy, but had also damaged farmland, orchards, streams, roads and drains.
“If the companies submit their operations in detail, the state government could negotiate a win-win solution with residents,” U Aye Zan said.
The state government has banned the use of explosives in quarries, and residents can inform on companies that violate this regulation, said Colonel Nay Htut Oo, state minister for Security and Border Affairs.
According to the state government, 121 companies had permission for rock mining in Mon in the 2017-2018 budget year.