Two streams have disappeared and most of the surrounding farmland has been destroyed as a result of gold mining in Namsabum Village in Machanbaw Township, Kachin State.
Gold mining in Namsabum Village, which is about 16km east of Putao Town in neighbouring Putao Township, started in June 2024, when mining businessmen and junta-aligned militia members arrived and began operations in coordination with the local administration. They mined extensively around two streams flowing around the village, which led to them both disappearing within a few months of the gold mining starting.
A 40-year-old Namsabum villager said: “I’ve never seen the water in either of those streams dry up before. But, ever since the gold mining started, there’s barely any water left in them. There used to be a bridge to cross one of the streams, but now no one even uses it—people just walk across because there’s no water at all.”
Gold mining has also destroyed a large proportion of the farmland that villagers have been cultivating for generations. Many fields are now buried under soil dumped there by the gold mining operations, according to another villager.
He said to KNG: “There used to be about 100 to 200 acres (about 40.5 to 81 hectares) of farmlands around the village, but now there’s barely 30 acres left. Most of the land was sold to gold miners. Some owners tried to hold on, but once the surrounding plots were filled with piles of mining waste, they had no choice but to sell. The streams disappeared too, so farming is no longer viable. Eventually, they had to give up and sell their lands.”
Farmers trying to cultivate the remaining 30 acres (about 12 hectares) or so of still usable farmland are facing problems because the disappearance of the two streams means that they have insufficient water to irrigate their crops.
Many of the gold mining sites are located near to the entrance of Namsabum Village with some only about 50 feet (about 15 metres) from the main road into the village. As a result, the road is now starting to show signs of damage, according to some villagers.
The gold mining has been carried out by militia members, gold mining businessmen, and some battalion commander-level officers in collaboration with the Namsabum Village administration.
The influx of gold miners has led to land price rises in Namsabum Village and the surrounding area. The price for an acre of land can fluctuate based on its potential for gold production, with values reaching as high as 50 million MMK an acre (about 0.4 hectares).
Namhkam Village, also in Machanbaw Township, has suffered a similar fate to Namsabum Village. Villagers there are suffering because now there are gold mining sites throughout Namhkam Village, with gold mining even taking place in the courtyard of the village church.
Machanbaw Township is under the control of the junta and its allied militias. It is in Putao District which is a contested area, with both the junta and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) having a significant presence in and control of different parts of Putao District.
Before the February 2021 coup, there had been some small-scale gold mining being undertaken in some areas of Putao Township. Since the coup, gold mining in the areas of Putao Township still controlled by the junta has expanded to include the use of heavy machinery.
