ALEX ELLGEE for The Irrawaddy
A severe drought, which has been called the worst in half a century, is threatening people’s livelihoods in eastern Shan state where 234 kilometers of the Mekong River runs through Burma, according to organizations working in the area.
“The people who live along the river are facing the worst situation in a long time, which has severely affected their way of living,” Japhet Jakui, the director of the Lahu National Development Organisation (LNDO), told The Irrawaddy.
The organization, which closely monitors the Mekong River in Shan State, estimated that more than 22,000 indigenous people made up of Akha, Shan, Lahu, Sam Tao, Chinese and En communities, live by the river. Many have told LNDO that their river-side farming practices have suffered as a result of the drought.
In an attempt to lure more Chinese logging business into the region, the Burmese regime has forbidden local residents from cutting trees. Unable to clear land for rice paddy fields, more people have become dependent on the river-side areas for their survival, said Japhet Jakui.
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