Great Tenasserim River
The Great Tenasserim River or the Tanintharyi River is a major river of southeastern Burma. It flows through the Tanintharyi Region, past the town of Tanintharyi, and enters the sea at Myeik. The river rises from the Tenasserim Range at an altitude of, and flows into the Andaman Sea. The region formed by this river is also known as Tenasserim, or Tanintharyi in Burmese. It is in a constricted coastal region in southeastern Myanmar, which borders Thailand on the east and the Andaman Sea on the west.
While non-indigenous fruit trees and other traces of a large population that once occupied the river banks are evident, the ethnic groups who live in this river valley are the Karens in the west and north, Thais in the south, and Burmans who speak a distinct dialect of Burmese.
Geography
The Great Tenasserim River is one of the major rivers of southeastern Burma, and the most substantial river running through the Tanintharyi Region. The river is formed at the confluence of the rivers Kamaungthwe and Ban, near Myitta. River Kamaungthwe rises in the Tenasserim Range at a height of and the Ban flows from the south. The Myitta River, one of the Tenasserim River's main northern tributaries, joins the Tenasserim from the right northwest of the town of Myitta. After passing by several towns, including Tagu, Banlaw, Wunna, Thamihla, and the right bank towns of Tharapon and Kahan, it reaches Tanintharyi.Tanintharyi, the capital of the province, is located on the southern bank of the Great Tenasserim, where it is joined by the Little Tenasserim. From here, it flows before reaching the Andaman Sea at the major seaside town of Myeik, situated on a small island that is formed by two branches of the river. These branches constitute the two largest of several mouths of the Great Tenasserim. Myeik is located on the island's peninsula that projects into the Andaman Sea. The river's arrival at the Andaman Sea is to the south of Tavoy, and about north of where the Lenya River enters the sea. The river delta stretches over a coast line of, with outlet channels of which the navigable channel is south of the town of Mergui at the mouth.
The river banks are characterized as almost perpendicular in some areas. Islands dot the river in the low land areas. Rapids occur in narrow areas of the channel. The tide is felt above Tanintharyi. The Tenasserim plains to the north are drained by a series of short rivers and tributaries. The tributaries include Tonbyaw Creek, Thuggoo River, as well as the Hti-phan-ko stream on the Great Tenasserim's right bank. Soil erosion is reported in the upland ridges of the region.
History
In the late 18th century, during the wars on territorial dispute between Myanmar and Thailand, the Great Tenasserim River region came under the control of the Burmese. In the first Anglo-Burmese War, British took control of the region. They first occupied Myeik town – the first town of Burma to become a part of British India in 1826. Thereafter, in 1941 during World War II, Japanese occupied the Tenasserim region, and they held Burma from 1941 to 1945. After the war, in 1948, the region became independent from Britain.Economic development
The main agricultural operations in the Tenasserim River valley include paddy rice, mostly near Tavoy; vegetables, coconuts, rubber, and teak. Salt extraction is also done. Wood and bamboo products are manufactured in Tavoy. Fishing in the sea is a major industry at Myeik, with exports of sea fish being of major value to the town's economy. As a result, in the 1990s the town started flourishing with modern buildings. Large boats can navigate the river as far inland as Tanintharyi.Resources
The river is said to be rich in sources of manganese. Tin is found in the southern portion of the Tenasserim division; once extracted it is purified in a plant in Heinda. Tungsten and iron ore mines are found near Tavoy and Mergui. Manganese has also been found in the river valley. Tin as a mineral, in the Mergui and Tavoy districts of the valley, is extracted from the pebbles found in the river. Pebbles are collected and then washed; the washing process yields 70% tin in the first washing and 75% in the second washing, and the ore thus extracted is said to be very rich and metal produced from this ore is also stated to be of excellent quality. Lead has also been found in the valley at Toungoo, and at the mouth of the river on Maingay Island in the Mergui Archipelago, which is yet to be extracted.Coal deposits were discovered on the Great Tenasserim around 1838, and five years later, an experimental coal seam was worked. By 1863, indications of coal fields, though not of consequence, were noted on the Great Tenasserim above Tanintharyi, while a bed of crop coal above the Falls of the Great Tenasserim was determined to be of inferior quality and abandoned. Balfour, in 1871, described a principal mine worked about from the river's mouth and said of the river valley coal that its best parts were considered an improvement over ordinary lignite while equal to bituminous coal's inferior portions. Extensive coal deposits have been found on the river banks. They are concentrated in the river valley about upstream from the Mergu River mouth. It is in the form of thin beds of shales, sandstones and conglomerates. Its extraction, however, has been limited.