Unregulated mining expands across Mekong region, raising concerns

Unregulated mining activity across the Mekong region of Southeast Asia, including Myanmar, is accelerating rapidly and raising serious environmental concerns. According FPI fellow James Borton, researchers warn that mining operations are outpacing government oversight and ecological safeguards and are discharging toxic substances such as cyanide, mercury, arsenic, and heavy metals into waterways that support local communities, agriculture, and fisheries. These waterways are part of the larger Mekong river system, which spans several countries in the region, making the environmental impact transboundary in scope

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