CHIANG RAI – Myanmar’s Kachin and Shan states once boasted rich green forests and abundant wildlife. As rare earth and gold mining have spread, led mostly by Chinese companies, the landscape has changed dramatically.
Hills and valleys, once sheltering diverse species, are now carved open and polluted. Heavy chemical use has left these areas scarred and hazardous.
The lives of people in Myanmar and northern Thailand have been turned upside down, as waterways like the Kok, Sai, and Mekong rivers fill with toxic substances. These rivers, crucial for drinking, farming, and fishing, now pass along pollutants such as arsenic and mercury.
With fish dying and water unsafe, communities face growing risks. This article looks at how unchecked mining, cross-border pollution, and China’s drive for minerals are placing this entire region in danger.
Rare Earth and Gold Mining Surge in Myanmar
Kachin and Shan, bordering China’s southwest, have become hotspots for mining rare earth elements (REEs) as well as gold. REEs are needed for items such as phones, electric cars, and wind turbines.
Kachin, especially in locations like Pangwa and Chipwi, now leads in producing heavy rare earths like dysprosium and terbium. By 2023, over 3,000 extraction pits will be worked across more than 300 mines. Shan State has also seen a sharp rise in rare earth and gold mines, especially near riverbanks close to Thailand.
Chinese funding and technology have made these mines grow quickly. Since Myanmar’s 2021 military coup, rules around protecting workers and the environment have faded. This has allowed Chinese firms and their local partners, often linked to militias, to expand operations unchecked. In recent years, satellite images have shown mining expanding rapidly, particularly in Kachin, where the combined mined area now matches the size of Singapore.
To extract rare earths, miners use chemicals in a process called in-situ leaching. This involves drilling, injecting solutions like ammonium sulphate and oxalic acid, and collecting the minerals that drain out into ponds.
Gold mining often uses mercury and cyanide. These chemicals, used in large amounts, are usually dumped straight into rivers or left in open ponds, leading to widespread pollution.
Environmental Destruction in Myanmar
Mining in Myanmar has caused widespread harm to the land and rivers. In Kachin, mountains are dotted with toxic blue-green ponds, the forests are gone, and fields lie empty.
Locals say that wildlife has disappeared and crops can no longer grow. “Nothing will grow in these fields now. Even the animals die from the water,” explained a miner using a false name for safety.
Water tests in Kachin Special Region 1 confirm the scale of pollution. The streams there are too acidic and full of arsenic and heavy metals, making them unsafe for people and farming.
The N’Mai Kha River, which feeds into Myanmar’s key Irrawaddy River, also faces contamination, putting millions at risk. Forest clearing for mines has led to erosion and landslides, damaging habitats further.
Shan State’s environment is also suffering. Data from Thailand’s GISTDA has pinpointed more than 40 new cleared areas near the Kok and Sai rivers in the last two years. These clearances match jumps in water cloudiness and arsenic content.
Rare earth extraction on slopes leaves pools and scars, and without any attempt to clean up, waste and plastics litter the land. Old sites remain polluted, and future use is now impossible.
Farmers in both Kachin and Shan have watched their crop yields drop due to poisoned land and water. Products like black cardamoms and walnuts have lost value as Chinese traders fear contamination. “Everything is ruined. Locals are strangers in their own home,” said a community leader from Kachin to Global Witness.
Transboundary Pollution Crisis Affecting Thailand
Pollution from Myanmar’s mines does not stop at the border. Rivers such as the Kok, Sai, and Ruak, which start in Shan State, carry arsenic, mercury, cyanide, and other toxins into northern Thailand. Chiang Rai’s 1.2 million residents depend on these rivers for drinking water, farming, and fishing, but many fear contamination.
People living in Chiang Rai’s Mae Sai and Tha Ton districts have seen the difference first-hand. Children can no longer play in the river, and fish are dying in large numbers.
A vice abbot at Wat Thaton temple, Phra Maha Nikhom, says, “The problems are clear: locals can’t use river water for daily life anymore.”
Testing by Thailand’s Pollution Control Department shows arsenic at almost four times the safe limit set by the World Health Organization, along with unsafe amounts of lead and other metals.
Mae Sai’s Sai River, running along the Thai-Myanmar boundary, tells a similar story. Bundit Pantarakon, a businessman and council member, suffered a rash after coming into contact with the river during a flood. Well water in most nearby homes now tests above safe levels for arsenic.
Even the Mekong River, which connects many Southeast Asian countries, has started to show signs of pollution, putting millions in danger.
Fish stocks have declined rapidly. Many fish now have strange marks or parasites. Fishermen, especially in Chiang Khong, cannot rely on the rivers, and many worry that rice irrigated with polluted water will accumulate arsenic, harming local people and affecting exports.
Pianporn Deetes, a campaign director at International Rivers, states, “Only stopping mining can fix this. If it keeps going, Chiang Rai will lose more lives.”
Human and Social Impact
Pollution from these mining operations causes more than just environmental damage. Many workers and villagers face serious health problems. In Kachin, miners like “Ah Brang” handle acids and chemicals every day, often without proper safety gear.
He describes a burning feeling in his throat and chronic coughing. Illnesses such as skin rashes, breathing problems, and kidney damage are frequent. Some families have lost loved ones, with one widow saying her husband’s organs had “rotted” from chemicals.
People in Thailand downstream are experiencing itchy skin, infections, and other symptoms linked to contaminated water. Long-term exposure to arsenic can cause cancer and brain damage. While there is little official research, local reports show the problem is widespread.
Mining is putting pressure on communities already struggling with conflict in border regions. Militias linked to Myanmar’s military force people off their land, sometimes under threats or violence.
In Shan, the UWSA, supported by Chinese interests, controls large parts of the mining sector. The Kachin Independence Organization, which recently gained ground in the mining region, says it wants to tackle environmental damage. Continued fighting and chaos make lasting change unlikely anytime soon.
China Absent in Oversight
China controls more than 90% of rare earth processing and nearly half the world’s reserves. Strict regulations at home, introduced since 2010, have led companies to set up their dirtiest operations in Myanmar, where oversight is weak and costs are low.
For every tonne of heavy rare earth produced in Myanmar, the costs are about seven times lower than in China. Chinese companies supply the chemicals and equipment, then transport the partially processed ores back across the border for final treatment. The profits stay in China, while Myanmar and its neighbours bear the environmental costs.
China’s record of pollution in its own rare earth mines, such as Bayan Obo in Inner Mongolia, is well documented. That site created massive ponds full of radioactive and hazardous waste, seeping into groundwater and affecting major rivers. By shifting mining to Myanmar, China avoids scrutiny while still meeting rising global demand.
Critics say there is almost no interest from China’s rare earth industry in protecting the environment abroad. With little supply chain transparency and Myanmar’s weak government, enforcing global standards is nearly impossible. As Patrick Meehan of the University of Manchester notes, “There’s no environmental impact study, no monitoring, and no protections in Myanmar’s mining areas.”
Thailand’s Actions and Regional Impact
Thai authorities are beginning to address the crisis. The Pollution Control Department regularly tests river water and warns the public to avoid contact. Still, campaigners such as Pianporn Deetes argue this is not enough.
There are calls for urgent talks with Myanmar and China to put an end to hazardous mining. Government-backed studies, including one from Naresuan University, show heavy metal patterns in the Kok River match those found in mining regions of Kachin, proving the scale of cross-border impact.
The Mekong River Commission has also reported arsenic in the Mekong, signalling this is not just a Thai problem but a regional emergency. The Mekong supports millions across Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam, making pollution a risk for food, fish, and public health everywhere.
The presence of armed groups and international interests in Myanmar’s mining regions complicates finding any lasting solution.
A Global Dilemma and Ethical Questions
As electric cars and green energy projects grow, demand for rare earths increases worldwide. Myanmar now plays a central role in feeding this demand. While these minerals are vital to new technologies, the way they are extracted has a severe cost to people and nature. Weak rules in Myanmar mean illegally mined minerals can slip into the supply chain, ending up in global brands.
Solving these problems is not easy. Recent moves by the Kachin Independence Organization to suspend mining show some progress, but unless governments and buyers demand better, more mines will open elsewhere.
Advocates such as Seng Li and Lahtaw Kai, who campaign internationally, urge public involvement and pressure for fair sourcing. In the words of Lahtaw Kai, “If people want these minerals, they should know where they come from and how they are mined.”
Mining in Myanmar’s Kachin and Shan states, led by Chinese companies, has created a crisis that reaches well beyond Myanmar. Rivers running into Thailand, once teeming with life, now carry dangerous chemicals, harming every community along their banks.
China’s control of rare earths and the push for cheaper minerals have fed this disaster, taking advantage of Myanmar’s turmoil. As northern Thailand copes with polluted waters and lost livelihoods, the need for stronger rules, global cooperation, and better sourcing practices is urgent.
Without action, the wounds left by these mining operations will persist, leaving the region’s rivers and lands damaged for the next generation.
