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Ngapali Beach - Paradise Lost?

14 December, 2015

The Ministry of Hotels and Tourism has been trying to curb the sand mining since 2004.

Ngapali Beach continues to lose one of its greatest assets, despite beach sand being unsuitable for construction and regulations banning its removal. MCRB director Vicky Bowman believes that education is the key to solving the problem.

Twenty years ago Ngapali Beach, on the Bay of Bengal in Rakhine State a short drive from Thandwe, was an unspoilt gem in the crown of Myanmar’s natural treasures.

Times have changed. Tourism is modest but growing at Ngapali, with a limited number of mid-range and upscale hotels operating in the area. Nearly all the beachfront land has been sold and only a small strip of public beach remains. But the sand is disappearing.

Sand excavated from Ngapali’s long, gently curving beach is widely used for construction projects in the area.

“We want to try and get environmental experts to come, who can show the medium and long term impacts of taking sand in other beaches, as I think the first problem is people don’t realise it’s a finite resource,” Ms Bowman said. “I would also like to get a program going with schools, but unfortunately UNESCO’s Sandwatch program seems to have run out of funding before it got here,” she said.

Read complete article at FrontierMyanmar.net