Fishermen affected by Myanmar cement plant operations

Mawlamyine Cement plant has been on the receiving end of anger from local fishermen who claim that the plant is destroying their livelihood.

Mariana Container Lines (MCL) has been transporting coal and raw materials for cement production along the Attrayan River, which has caused problems for the fisherman as they have been forced to wait for the vessels to pass before they can fish. The issue was raised at a regional Mon meeting called on 9 January when the issue of access to use natural water resources was also discussed at length, reports Myanmar Times.

Local villagers form  Kyaikmaraw and Mawlamyine townships have also refrained from drinking water from Attrayan River due to worries over possible discharge from the cement plant.

Meanwhile, Dr Min Kyi Win, minister in charge of environmental protection and conservation, has affirmed that any businesses found to have caused harm to the environment will be dealt with strictly, and their operations might even be shut down.

Mawlamyine Cement plant opened in March 2016 and has a production capacity of 0.5Mta.