Myanmar environmental organization Karen Rivers Watch (KRW) issued a statement from the banks of the Salween River in Bu Tho Township, Karen State, calling on the regime in Naypyidaw to halt all planned activities “to build five dams that would destroy the free flow of the river” on Saturday to mark International Day of Action for Rivers and Against Dams.
“Rivers are a great gift from nature. They are the lifeblood of indigenous peoples. We cannot accept anything that harms these rivers. It is essential for everyone to unite and strongly oppose such actions,” Saw Phoe Htoo, the Karen Youth Organization (KYO) environmental coordinator, told DVB on March 14 during a visit to Mutraw (Hpapun) District, located in Karen National Union (KNU) Brigade 5.
In 2025, researchers from Chiang Mai University (CMU) conducted a water quality test in the Salween River and discovered arsenic, lead, and mercury contamination. The acceptable standard for arsenic in rivers should be 0.01 milligram per litre but 0.55 milligram per litre, which is 55 times above the safety limit, was found in some areas of the Salween, according to the CMU researchers.
