Extractive industries - Open Development Mekong

New mapping reveals hidden mining boom in Laos that threatens the Mekong

BANGKOK — A new satellite analysis from U.S. think tank the Stimson Center has identified 517 suspected mines along rivers in Laos, including major tributaries of the Mekong, Southeast Asia’s longest river, heightening concerns about contamination of waterways that sustain local communities. Stimson has not ground-truthed the mine sites identified through satellite imagery, but Mongabay spoke […]

The post New mapping reveals hidden mining boom in Laos that threatens the Mekong first appeared on Open Development Mekong.

Unregulated mining expands across Mekong region, raising concerns

Dec. 3 (UPI) — Unregulated mining across the Mekong region is accelerating at a pace that environmental researchers warn is outstripping governance, enforcement and ecological safeguards. From Myanmar’s jade-rich northern highlands to informal gold pits along Laos and Cambodia’s riverbanks, mineral extraction is expanding in some of Southeast Asia’s most fragile ecosystems, often beyond the reach […]

The post Unregulated mining expands across Mekong region, raising concerns first appeared on Open Development Mekong.

Rare earth mining expands into Laos, threatening entire Mekong River

Satellite data show at least 27 new rare earth mines have opened across Laos since 2022, mostly in protected areas and many within the Mekong River Basin, raising transboundary pollution risks for Vietnam and the wider Mekong system. New data show a recent proliferation of rare earth mines across river basins in Laos, potentially posing […]

The post Rare earth mining expands into Laos, threatening entire Mekong River first appeared on Open Development Mekong.

Gender No Barrier: Women Excel in Demanding Gold Mining Roles

MONDULKIRI – Two trailblazing female graduates from the Institute of Technology of Cambodia (ITC) are breaking barriers in the gold mining industry. They’re tackling key roles as a surveyor and a metallurgist at Renaissance Minerals (Cambodia) Ltd in Mondulkiri province, overcoming challenges related to gender and demanding work schedules. Renaissance Minerals, a subsidiary of Australia’s […]

The post Gender No Barrier: Women Excel in Demanding Gold Mining Roles first appeared on Open Development Mekong.

Opinion: The Mekong Delta is drowning in ‘sand debt’ – it urgently needs a sand budget

any people will be familiar with the dread when your income no longer covers your expenses; when you’ve exhausted your savings and are sinking ever deeper into debt. In the Mekong Delta, a similar downward spiral is happening. But it’s not the delta’s finances that are draining away – it’s the sand that sustains it. […]

The post Opinion: The Mekong Delta is drowning in ‘sand debt’ – it urgently needs a sand budget first appeared on Open Development Mekong.

Illegal gold mining threatens freshwater lake in Myanmar

Illegal gold mining is threatening Myanmar’s largest inland freshwater lake – which ethnic people in Kachin state depend on for their livelihoods – due to the increasing demand for the precious metal as the country’s economy teeters towards collapse. U Aung Ko, a 60-year-old ethnic Shan resident in Ma Mon Kaing village at the southern […]

The post Illegal gold mining threatens freshwater lake in Myanmar first appeared on Open Development Mekong.

Myanmar’s environment hit by rare earth mining boom

Kachin State’s Chipwi Township in northernmost Myanmar is known for its pristine forests and crystal-clear water. But 10 years ago, local residents started noticing the patches of land that had been cleared on the lush mountains surrounding their town, which borders China’s Yunnan province. It started with one patch of land, where all the trees […]

The post Myanmar’s environment hit by rare earth mining boom first appeared on Open Development Mekong.

Collapse in minerals exports robs junta of key revenue

The closure of Myanmar’s biggest mines due to the post-coup conflict has contributed to an 80 percent plummet in export earnings from the sector over the last two years. Monthly earnings from Myanmar’s mining exports have shrunk from more than US$150 million to only $30 million since the 2019-20 fiscal year. Although on-off border restrictions […]

The post Collapse in minerals exports robs junta of key revenue first appeared on Open Development Mekong.

Illegal rare-earth mining goes rampant in northern Kachin State

The number of illegal rare-earth element mining businesses in northern Kachin State has now increased much greater than the previous years, according to local sources. Locals say rare-earth mining was seen only in hilly border areas near Panwa before Myanmar’s political change in 2021, but the number of such illegal mining sites has increased since […]

The post Illegal rare-earth mining goes rampant in northern Kachin State first appeared on Open Development Mekong.

Mining the Mekong: Land and livelihoods lost to Cambodia’s thirst for sand

Some 45 kilometers, or 28 miles, up the Mekong River from Phnom Penh, Voi Thy sat and watched as 12 boats pumped sand from the riverbed. Another 11 boats, weighed low by their quarry of freshly mined sand, were making the glacial journey past her home in Roka Koang commune, Kandal province, to the capital. […]

The post Mining the Mekong: Land and livelihoods lost to Cambodia’s thirst for sand first appeared on Open Development Mekong.