The N'Mai River or N'Mai Hka (, ) is a
river
A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...
in northern Myanmar (Burma). The northern part of the river is sometimes referred to as the Nam Tamai.
Course
The N'Mai runs parallel to the
Mali River
The Mali River (Jingpho language, Jinghpaw: ''Mali Hka''; , ''Nam Kiu'') is a river that originates in the hills of Kachin State, in the northernmost border states of Myanmar, region of Myanmar. It flows approximately 320 km, before meeting ...
, and has its source in the
Himalaya
The Himalayas, or Himalaya ( ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the Earth's highest peaks, including the highest, Mount Everest. More than 100 pea ...
n
glaciers
A glacier (; or ) is a persistent body of dense ice, a form of rock, that is constantly moving downhill under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires ...
of eastern
Tibet
Tibet (; ''Böd''; ), or Greater Tibet, is a region in the western part of East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are other ethnic groups s ...
at about 28° north latitude.
[Kalaya Lu]
"Abstract: Floradiversity of North-eastern Kachin Myanmar Section of Sino-himalaya (N'mai Hka-Than Lwin Water Division)"
Myitkyina University, Faculty of Botanics, 2006. Accessed 27 June 2009. It is not navigable because of strong currents. The N'mai ends at its
confluence
In geography, a confluence (also ''conflux'') occurs where two or more watercourses join to form a single channel (geography), channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main ...
(''Myit-son'') with the Mali River in
Kachin State
Kachin State (; Jingpho language, Kachin: ) is the northernmost administrative divisions of Myanmar, state of Myanmar. It is bordered by China to the north and east (Tibet Autonomous Region, Tibet and Yunnan, respectively), Shan State to the sou ...
where the two rivers combine to form the
Ayeyarwady River.
The confluence is "one of the most significant cultural heritage sites for the Kachin people and an important landmark for all of Burma."
[Burma Rivers Network, ", 2009"]
Construction of the proposed
Myitsone Dam was planned at the
confluence
In geography, a confluence (also ''conflux'') occurs where two or more watercourses join to form a single channel (geography), channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main ...
of the Mali and the N'Mai River. It has been suspended since 30 September 2011, when amid
democratic reforms in the country, President
Thein Sein announced he was suspending construction on the Myitsone Dam project for the duration of his tenure, as the project was contrary to the will of the people.
History
The British forester and ornithologist
Bertram E. Smythies studied the area in the 1940s. More recently, Kalaya Lu, Assistant Lecturer in the Department of Botany at Myitkyina University between 2002 and 2006, published a paper on plant diversity in the river watershed, concluding that it consists of different ecosystems, ranging in elevation from 800 metres to more than 4,600 metres, and containing some of the richest areas of Sino-Himalaya flora diversity in the world.
In 2007, the government of Myanmar signed an agreement with
China Power Investment Corporation to construct a series of dams on the Ayeyarwady, Mali, and N’Mai rivers. For the N'Mai, one on the Mali, and one at the confluence, up to five dams were proposed. This dam, the largest of the seven, would destroy the confluence.
Construction started in 2008 and a local protest about one of the dams at
Chibwe met with government suppression.
[Burma News Network]
"Christian leaders questioned over anti-dam campaign"
29 July 2008.
See also
*
Eastern Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows
*
Northern Triangle temperate forests
References
{{Reflist
External links
* Earth Snapshot
Satellite image
Rivers of Myanmar