Garbage from Shwe Gas project is damaging the environment of the surrounding area of the project in Arakan, said local residents and environmental activists in the area.
The plastics are spreading along the beach which is length 3 miles.
Most affected area by garbage is Mala Kyunt Island, five and half miles southeast of Kyauk Pru Township, where a gas purged factory is being built by Daewoo Korea Company.
A resident said that the environment is being damaged after many pieces of plastic are thrown away from the factory. The plastics are spreading along the beach which is length 3 miles.
“It is big problem for the environment because the authority is not systematically discarding the plastics in the area. Because of this the environment in the area is totally damaged,” he said.
The plastic pieces are coming from concrete pipes which were wreathed by plastic when the pipes were brought to the area from abroad.
“The factory is now connecting a pipe line from the factory compound to the sea in the island in order to discard garbage from the factory. Most of plastic wreathed the concrete pipes were discarded when the pipes were laid down on the ground,” he said.
The aquatic creatures are avoiding coming to the area after the damaging of the environment in the area by the garbage plastic sheets.
A fisherman from Mala Kyunt village said it is very hard catching fishes in the area due to scarce fishes in the offshore near their village.
He also said that in the past, he earned 3000 Kyat within an hour by fishing but now it is not easy to earn such an amount even though he is fishing for three hours.
Another environmental activist said that many coral rock fishes sheltered under the water are totally damaged after they were exploded by dynamite to lay gas and oil pipelines under the water of the sea.
The livelihoods of many local people in the area are affected due to environmental damage but the authority still neglects the situation of the area despite many problems for the people by the projects.
