By Paskorn Jumlongrach
The Kok and Sai Rivers, both transboundary rivers, tributaries of the Mekong, are facing the same fate—degradation and contamination with heavy metals, particularly arsenic, at levels exceeding safety standards, rendering the water unusable for consumption or daily use.
A glance at the map shows that the headwaters of both the Kok and Sai Rivers lie in the town of Mong Sart in Shan State, not far from the Thai border. In the past, the forested mountains in this area were lush and abundant, inhabited mainly by various ethnic groups, especially the Shan people.
Around 3 decades ago, the United Wa State Army (UWSA) displaced the Shan in the area, seeking to establish a southern Wa state (while their main base is the Special Wa Administrative Region bordering China). This shift came with the mass resettlement of Wa people into the region and along Thai border, replacing local ethnic communities. This move was supported by both the Myanmar military and the Chinese.
The Wa army exploited the area in every possible way to generate funds for building up their military. This included the known, large-scale drug production destined for Thailand, as seen in the many major drug busts along Thailand’s northern border.
They also allowed Chinese operators to log forests in the upper watersheds of the Kok and Sai Rivers, transporting the timber back to China and replacing the forests with rubber plantations.
On top of this, they invited Chinese enterprises to open gold mines in Mong Sart, Shan State—located at the headwaters that eventually flow into Thailand, then the Mekong on Thai-Lao border.
The current crisis in the Kok and Sai Rivers is a direct result of upstream mining. The mining in the upper Sai River began about 3–4 years ago. Last year, the water became so turbid it turned milky white (see previous news coverage: Link 1, Link 2). If detailed testing had been done earlier, many believe heavy metal contamination in the Sai River would have been detected even before it was found in the Kok River, as the Sai River’s condition last year was particularly dire.
Over the past couple of years, Chinese miners have expanded their gold mining operations from the Sai’s headwaters to those of the Kok River—only a short distance away. This has led to extensive excavation and exposure of topsoil in the Kok River’s headwater area, more severe than even before the flood disaster that struck Chiang Rai town in September 2024.
Today, people living along both rivers are suffering, as the water is contaminated with heavy metals to the extent that it’s banned for any kind of domestic use—even direct contact is prohibited. Yet, residents of Chiang Rai still rely on tap water sourced from the Kok River, and those in Mae Sai continue to use water from the Sai River.
Last year, communities along both rivers also suffered from devastating floods and mudslides, with lingering damage still visible today.
The causes—from last year’s disasters to the recent heavy metal contamination—are well-documented and substantiated with sufficient evidence to clearly define the problem and chart a course for remediation.
Unfortunately, we currently have a weak government that has failed to respond promptly to the people’s suffering. As a result, hundreds of thousands of residents along the Kok and Sai Rivers remain in a state of despair and abandonment.
Just think about it—even the disaster response plan for the upcoming rainy season, which is just a couple of months away, has yet to take any real form, despite a national-level committee having been appointed six months ago.
Under such circumstances, what more can the people possibly hope for?
See original Thai article, https://transbordernews.in.th/home/?p=42086
