US EditionGlobal demand for rare earths is wreaking havoc on one of Asia’s mightiest river systems
The Stimson Centre identified 2,400+ sites releasing cyanide, mercury, and arsenic into the Mekong basin, threatening health and livelihoods of 70 million people.
- On Monday, the US-based Stimson Centre released a study finding over 2,400 mining sites in the Mekong river basin discharging toxic chemicals, with millions of people across Southeast Asia facing serious health risks, the report says.
- Rising rare earth and gold extraction has increased near the Mekong's source, prompting farmers to irrigate with groundwater amid contamination concerns in conflict-affected northern Myanmar along tributaries of the Mekong.
- Researchers documented pollutants such as cyanide, mercury, arsenic and heavy metals and mapped many alluvial gold mines and heap-leach operations for nickel, copper and manganese.
- Experts warn intensifying contamination threatens fisheries, agriculture and tourism, urging expanded water-quality testing and stronger governance as the Mekong supports more than 70 million people.
- On the ground, local residents and farmers reported contaminated water supplies forcing use of alternative sources, and Brian Eyler warned `scores of tributaries of major rivers, like the Mekong, the Salween and the Irrawaddy, are probably highly contaminated`.
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9 Articles
Global demand for rare earths is wreaking havoc on one of Asia’s mightiest river systems
Global demand for rare earth minerals is driving the toxic pollution of some of Asia’s most important rivers, threatening the health and livelihoods of tens of millions of people.
Unregulated mining is releasing toxic chemicals into major rivers in Southeast Asia, including the Mekong, affecting millions of people, a US research team says.
Millions at health risk in Southeast Asia, study points to toxic chemicals from 2,400 mines
A new study by the US-based Stimson Centre think tank warns that toxic runoff from thousands of unregulated mining sites across Southeast Asia is contaminating major rivers like the Mekong, threatening millions of lives, regional ecosystems, and key economic sectors.
A new study warns that more than 2,400 mines along Southeast Asia is major drivers are releasing toxic chemicals – posing risks to millions of people in the region and to global consumers. Many of the mining operations are backed by China.
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