Ayeyarwady riverbanks in Taik Kyi continuously collapse due to unsupervised dredging
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Htet Nadi/Pearl (NP News) - November 14
According to local residents, landslides are occurring continuously in Ahpyauk Township due to river rock excavation, and vigilance is needed.
River rock excavations have been started almost daily in the Ayeyarwady River near Ahpyauk, Taik Kyi Township, Yangon Region since last August.
A local told The Statesman Journal that “They have been working continuously along the banks of the Ayeyarwady River near the town since August. They operate both day and night, using large rock-extracting machines. Currently, the area near Ahpyauk’s Yay Pyan village has been completely affected. The riverbanks are collapsing significantly. They have been working continuously near places like Kway Pan Kan monastery, Ngalar monastery, Pan Tone Pait monastery, the banks of Ahpyauk town, and Yay Pyan village. Even residents of Aye Thar Yar village have had to relocate.”
Due to river rock extraction, riverbank collapses have been occurring in Aphyauk town and surrounding villages. Residents have been forced to relocate, and authorities are reportedly being urged to monitor and supervise these activities.
He continued, “After extracting the river rocks, they send them to Taik Kyi and Okkan. I think some even reach southern Yangon through CV trucks. Each time they dredge, they use around 15 to 20 trucks at a single site. About ten years ago, this used to happen too, but the government officially banned it long ago because the riverbanks were collapsing and villagers had to relocate. Aphyauk town itself has had preservation and maintenance projects worth billions of kyats. And now, they are doing it all over again. Locals haven’t been able to stop it, and they don’t even know whom to report it to. They just want these activities to be properly monitored and controlled.”
In the past, similar river rock extraction near Aphyauk town has caused riverbank collapses, forcing entire nearby villages to relocate. The government has reportedly spent millions of kyats on riverbank protection and maintenance projects in response.