Unregulated dumping of waste threatens Mrauk-U’s UNESCO World Heritage bid: Italian expert

By DMG 16 Feb 2022

DMG Newsroom
16 February 2022, Mrauk-U

Water resources experts visiting Mrauk-U have suggested that the unregulated dumping of waste in area creeks is a threat to the ancient city’s bid for UNESCO World Heritage status, suggesting that a better drainage system is also needed.

Professor Massimo Sarti, an Italian expert on water resources, made the recommendation at a meeting on water use issues for Mrauk-U’s World Heritage List application, held in Mrauk-U on February 15, said U Kyi Khin, director of the Department of Archeology and National Museum (Sittwe Branch).

“Mainly, people dump garbage unregulated in creeks and drainages,” he said, adding that this could exacerbate flooding, particularly during the rainy season. “He [Sarti] suggested that the concerned departments and Mrauk-U Youth Association work together to deal with the waste.”

U Kyi Khin continued: “Garbage is a major problem. He also advised us to clear the homes that were built near the creeks by cutting down mangrove palm. We were able to find solutions to those problems.”

Experts are due to make Mrauk-U field visits in August or September, and the World Heritage Committee is expected to make a decision in 2023 as to whether the ancient city should be inscribed on the World Heritage List, according to the Department of Archeology and National Museum (Sittwe Branch).

Sarti conducted a seven-day field inspection from February 9, assessing water use issues in Mrauk-U. The professor was hired to conduct a field study in advance of the UNESCO experts’ visit to Mrauk-U later this year.