Salween River

Salween River Latest News

Recent discoveries have indicated severe arsenic pollution along the Salween River, with unregulated mines in Myanmar, especially Shan State, being the prime suspects.

About Salween River

• The Salween River, also known as the Nu River in China and Thanlwin River in Myanmar, is a transboundary river in Asia, shared by China, Thailand, and Myanmar. 
• Approximately 2400 km long, it is the longest undammed/free-flowing river in mainland Southeast Asia.
• Course: 
  • The Salween River originates approximately 4,000 m above sea level in the Tibetan range of the eastern Himalayas. 
  • The river passes through western Yunnan, China, Myanmar, and then forms the border between Myanmar and Thailand before it turns west and drains into the Gulf of Martaban in the Andaman Sea. 
• The upstream portion of the Salween flows in parallel with two of Asia’s mightiest rivers, the Mekong and the Yangtze.
• The location where three gorges carved by these rivers come together – the Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan – was designated as a World Heritage Site by the UN in 2003.
• Since Salween flows primarily through rugged terrain with dangerous rapids along its course, only small parts of the river are navigable by large water vessels. 
• Its major economic use is in floating teak logs from the forests of southeastern Myanmar to the sea.
• More than 10 million people live in the Salween basin, and the river is home to more than a dozen ethnic minorities. Some of the major groups include the Shan, Karen (or Kayin), Karenni (or  Kayah),  Wa,  Lisu,  Lahu,  Kokang,  Akha,  and  Hmong.
• In the Salween basin, there are over 200 species of fish, a third of which are found nowhere else in the world.
• It is believed to support over 25% of the world’s and over 50% of China’s animal species.

Source: TOI

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