The Shan Human Rights Foundation has reported extensive damage to farmlands along the Nam Lwe River in Mine Kyat Township, Eastern Shan State, due to flooding and sedimentation caused by rare earth mining operations. Since late July 2025, unprecedented flooding carrying heavy sediment has destroyed numerous agricultural areas along the Nam Lwe River. The affected region is located approximately 20 kilometers downstream from rare earth mining sites in the Mong Pauk area, which is under the control of the United Wa State Army (UWSA).
On July 27, heavy rainfall caused the Nam Lwe River to overflow, submerging farmlands on both banks under two meters of water. After the floods receded three days later, about half of the flooded fields were covered in sediment up to 60 centimeters deep. Local crops, primarily rice, corn, peanuts, and soybeans, were severely damaged. While farmers attempted to replant in areas not covered by mud, another flood on August 5 brought new sediment deposits, and the newly planted crops were destroyed after being submerged for three days. Farmers made further attempts to replant, but a third flood on August 10 caused additional damage to the newly replanted fields. Local residents report that such severe sedimentation damage is unprecedented in the area. Although there was significant flooding between July and October 2024 that submerged Mine Kyat town under two meters of water, there was no residual sediment, and crops were not damaged.
The farmland damage in Mine Kyat Township is attributed to the expansion of rare earth mining operations in the UWSA-controlled Mong Pauk area and the discharge of mining waste into streams that flow into the Nam Lwe River above Mine Kyat. The rare earth mines in Mong Pauk use environmentally destructive in-situ leaching methods, involving the injection of chemicals across hillsides, leading to extensive deforestation and landslides. The majority of Mine Kyat’s original inhabitants are Shan people who rely primarily on agriculture for their livelihood. In addition to the mines in Mong Pauk, there are 19 other rare earth mining operations in NDAA (Mongla group) controlled territory that discharge into the Nam Lwe River, which the local farmers depend on for their agricultural activities.
