Translated by Tashi Namgyal
Based on the melting point of the current snow of Amnye Machen, all the snow of the mountain will be melted away in several decades. But still the Chinese government is persisting with the project of mining around its ranges.
A video clip entitled ‘the change of Amnye Machen’ based on scientific surveys has been circulated recently by the Plateau Nature Conservancy of Qinghai province, a local environmental protection group. It is stated in the video that the snow of sacred mountain Amnye Machen continues to melt 17 meters each year and people are concerned for the snow mountain which may disappear after several decades in the future. Despite the dire situation, the Chinese government has been operating mining around Amnye Machen over 30 years and still working on the expansion of mining activities.
In the video received to Tibet Times, a Tibetan nomad grown up at the foot of Amnye Machen has expressed, “It was in 1986 that for the first time I went for a pilgrimage circuit around Amnye Machen. In terms of its snow and the environment, a drastic change has occurred. Comparing the snow covering areas now and then, at most level 1200 meters of snow and at least 240 meters have melted away. From 2017 to 2023, the snow of Amnye Machen has melted 17 meters each year.”
The man added, “As Amnye Machen is one of the main sources of the Machu River, there are countless water springs around it. While the snow of Amnye Machen becomes less, the water springs dry up sooner. Likewise, various plants grow at the foot of Amnye Machen but the speed of their growth is becoming faster. It is a significant sign that the warmth of Amnye Machen is increasing. Other animals such as snow leopards also dwell there and are affected with the change of snow mountains. More than that, the livelihood of nomads living around its ranges is changing drastically.”
Amnye Machen is located in Machen County, Golok in Tibet and it is one of the four sacred mountains of Tibet where thousands of pilgrims used to visit every year. Nevertheless, the Chinese government has commenced with a project of mining around its ranges since 1993. In 1997, the project was handed over to Qinghai West copper mining company private limited. The company has expanded mines over the past 27 years, especially copper. Due to excessive mineral exploitation, the sacred mountain is polluted. The polluted water of the mining factory is brought into the Guchu River and makes it undrinkable for the people out there. But animals drink it that affects them even to death. The local people repeatedly appealed to the local authorities to halt mineral exploitation, but it went in vain. On 21 August 2017, a written appeal was sent to the involved authorities of the Central government to halt the mining activities but proved no result.
According to the reliable information received to Tibet Times on 9 April 2024, the West copper mining company is still continuing with excessive mineral exploitation at the ranges of Amnye Machen. A local nomad said that the mining activities have been started since the eighties and nineties, and now settlement of workers and the smelters are established near the mining area like a town.
