Residents living along Mawlamyine’s Strand Road, Mon State, are calling on municipal authorities to properly manage waste disposal as accumulated garbage along the waterfront continues to cause environmental pollution.
According to the locals, the Mawlamyine City Development Committee has allowed residents to dump garbage along the Strand Road due to insufficient garbage trucks and manpower for regular waste collection.
The waste buildup has led to foul odors and environmental pollution, making the area unpleasant for both nearby residents and visitors.
“People from other areas don’t want to go there, and even locals like us avoid it unless necessary. The smell is very bad and plastic waste is scattered everywhere. We really don’t want to go there anymore,” said a local man in Mawlamyine.
He also noted that similar large waste dumps exist in Zayarthiri and Daingwon Kwin wards, reportedly with permission from the municipal authorities.
Although the Mon State government has been expanding tourism-related development projects to attract more visitors, residents say the ongoing neglect of waste management along the Strand Road is damaging both environmental conditions and the city’s image.
A resident from Myitta Ward in Mawlamyine urged authorities to revoke permission for dumping garbage along the Strand Road and instead implement a regular door-to-door waste collection system across city wards.
“The municipal authorities allowing garbage to be dumped along the Strand Road is already wrong. A waterfront should be a recreational area. If waste trucks collected garbage from every ward in Mawlamyine two times a week, this problem would not happen. We are also willing to pay taxes for proper waste collection,” he said.
The Mawlamyine Strand Road is about 3 miles and 7 furlongs long and is considered one of the longest waterfront roads in Myanmar.
In 2020, during the launch of the Mawlamyine Strand Walking Street project, authorities implemented cleanup efforts along the road. However, after the COVID-19 period, enforcement activities were halted, and waste accumulation gradually returned.
