Fishermen in Kyaikmaraw township in Mon State have complained against a cement producer whose operations, they said, were detrimental to their health and livelihood. The company in question, Mariana Container Lines (MCL), operates vessels all day to ferry coal and rocks needed to produce cement on the Attrayan River, the main source of daily catch of local fishermen. Since the company has vessels traversing all day long, it restricted the movement of fishermen, as they were forced to wait for the vessels to pass before they could set about the daily chore. They said it was tantamount to a waste of time and loss of their rights to fish in their own waters. The problem was raised at a regional Mon meeting called on January 9 when the issue of access to use natural water resources was also discussed, at length. The average daily catch of fishermen has also dwindled as vibrations emanating from the passing vessels were driving fish away from their nets, said Nai Win Hla, a native of Kyaikmaraw township. Last year a fisherman’s average daily catch over 3 or 4 viss [4.9 or 6.5 kilogrammes], but this season it’s difficult to get half a viss [0.82 kg]. The problem was compounded by a landslide along a stretch of the Attrayan River which destroyed the ecosystem, he elaborated. Their rights to fish in Thanlwin, Attrayan, Zami and Ye rivers have also been compromised even though they have always paid their taxes, said Nai Hla Myint, another local resident. He called for land ownership laws to be extended to rivers and protection of rights of Mon fishermen. The Attrayan River is narrow and deep. Normal trawling takes about six hours. The nets though get damaged by passing ships. The losses were staggering last year,” said U Myo Min Aung, a spokenperson of Kyaikmaraw township’s fisheries department. If fishermen have to wait for ships to pass, their income will decrease by more than half, he added. Local residents bathed in the river, and it was their source of drinking water. Now no one dares drink the water from the river or the pools next to it, because the villagers are scared off by discharge from the cement factory. They say the river is contaminated with pollutants. So now they have to buy drinking water. Meanwhile, Dr Min Kyi Win, minister in charge of environmental protection and conservation, has affirmed that any businesses found to have caused harm to the environment will be dealt with strictly, and their operations might even be shut down. He stressed that every business or factory must have an environmental management plan (EMP). Most factories in Mon State were allowed to operate by the past government and they were not required to come up with an EMP or EIA plan. The MCL cement factory, which opened in March 2016, has the capacity to produce 5000 tonnes of cement per day. Three times it has been the target of protests by villagers living in Kyaikmaraw and Mawlamyine townships. The factory’s coal-fired power plant has had an adverse environmental impact on the local way of life.