By Loa Htaw, Independent Mon News Agency
June 6, 2008
Deforestation is rampant in Burma . The country tops the list of deforestation in the world, local environmentalists said.
Unchecked deforestation is on across the country, especially in Shan, Kachin, Karen, Karenni and other ethnic areas, said Aung Ngyeh, secretary of Burma Rivers Network.
Burma lost 18 per cent of its forests between 1990 and 2005, one of the highest deforestation rates in the world according to the Global Witness. Fifteen tonnes of illegally logged timber crosses the Burmese border into China every seven minutes, 24 hours a day, every day of the year, it added.
“Deforestation continues to increase. However, it is difficult to estimate how much increase there has been as almost all logging is illegal,” said Aung Ngyeh.
A Mon ethnic environmentalist Chan Don compared the forests in Three Pagoda Pass (TPP) Township on the Thai-Burma border in 1998 with the current situation. “Now there is no more forest in the township areas”. People in Mon state are also into increased burning of forests for farms and rubber plantations he added.
Over the last three years, businessmen in TPP Township started transporting timber from Kyainnseikyi Township areas to the TPP Township after almost all trees on the border had gone, said U Pon, a local businessman. Businessmen on an average bring about six vehicles of timber to TPP township everyday, he added.
Residents have difficulty in accessing timber to build or repair their houses and are now worried about the impact of deforestation in the area, said Aung Myint, a local resident.
We face shortage of water every year in the summer since 2005. The weather is also abnormal. The rains started too early this year. When it rains it is quite cold and when the rain stops it is too hot even in the rainy season, Aung Myint added.
The weather in other regions of Burma also affects residents said local environmental groups. People are continuing to suffer from the effects of both local and global environmental problems and the junta must learn from the devastating impact of Cyclone Nargis said an EarthRights Student Union statement on World Environment Day.
Globally, gas emission contributes to global warming, storms are increasing in intensity while locally deforestation and pollution from mining affects the environment, the statement stated.
“High carbon emissions are leading to global warming which is bringing devastating storms as can be seen by the recent Cyclone Nargis,” said Nyein Htun general secretary of EarthRights Student Union.
Cyclone Nargis has killed 130,000 people and made 2.4 million homeless. Official statistics said at least 2.43 million acres of paddy were destroyed in the Irrawaddy, Rangoon , and Pegu division in the cyclone hit areas.
Local people say farms in the cyclone hit regions were almost destroyed while farms in other parts of the country have also been affected somewhat. Cyclone hit regions are the rice producing regions and currently only about 10 percent of farmers have started farming. Burma has about 20 million acres of paddy cultivation, including both summer and monsoon paddy.
