Floods, Landslides, and Despair: Mining Operations Leave Tibetan Village on Brink of Ecological Collapse in Markham
By Tenzin Chokyi
DHARAMSALA 22 March: Owing to illegal mining projects, Tibetans in Zhongri village in Markham, in the traditional Tibetan Province of Kham, continue to face significant challenges that threaten their lives, livestock and the ecology of the Tibetan plateau.
Illegal mining, carried out through collusion between Chinese businessmen and local leadership since 7 August 2022, in Zhongri village in Chamdo Prefecture’s Markham County, continues to pose significant challenges to local Tibetans, including flooding and landslides affecting livestock, farmland, and homes, as well as environmental degradation, sources from the region told Tibet Express on Friday.
According to sources, though the Tibetans have repetitively appealed to the local authorities to stop the mining since 2022, except for a brief halt, the illegal mining continues unabated with impunity as the pleas have fallen on deaf ears.
In a short video that surfaced online on Friday, an elderly Tibetan from the region is seen crying as he rues the empty promises made by the local authorities despite their repeated appeals and spending thousands of yuan to prevent the illegal mining on the sacred mountain in the area since 2020.
“We, the public, did not spend large amounts of money because we have too much money. Since the mountain is closely related to the livelihoods of local herders, farmers and villagers, we want to spend money to protect our livelihoods and country.”
Based on the video, approximately 1,730 residents of Tsonga Townshiop from the region whose traditional livelihood as Tibetan herders and farmers face a threat of extinction.
It is alleged in the video that since mining is carried out through collusion between Chinese businessmen and local leadership, it has been exempted from the usual 500 yuan penalty imposed for cutting down a single tree, and large-scale deforestation is carried out without objection.
Echoing the same concern, Tibetan netizens took to the comment section of the video. About 22 livestock animals in the area have been swept away by the flood, said a Tibetan netizen.
Additionally, farms and grasslands located on the lower plains are being covered by mud as a result of mining projects on the mountain, making it impossible to graze, it added.
Furthermore, it is said that the area is witnessing recurrent floods and landslides due to intensive deforestation and the fertility of the farmland of the people at the foot of the mountain is facing severe deterioration.
Some netizens in the comment section have shared about similar mining projects taking place in their area, pointing towards a larger network of illegal mining across occupied Tibet.
One netizen wrote that there are currently many illegal miners in Tibet, and local leaders and Chinese businessmen are colluding to mine illegally.
The netizen further informed about the presence of a local leadership group in his area that has threatened the local people with imprisonment and lied about having legal permits to mine, in an attempt to silence the local community.
