Local residents are alarmed by the pollution in the Than Sit River in Kyaukphyu township, Rakhine State, and have urged the authorities to take action, a local environmental group has said. The residents say they do not know the cause of the pollution, as there are no factories near the river, according to ALARM Ecological Laboratory. The high level of pollution in the river could damage the aquatic ecosystem and pose a public health risk, the group said in a statement. We sent water samples to the laboratory to find out what is happening, said U Tun Naing, a local resident. People living along the river were concerned the pollution could affect their health and livelihoods. Many fishing villages depend on the river and the pollution is affecting their catch. The laboratory found 10 times the normal level of lead and 26 times the normal level of phenol compounds in the water samples from the river. The high level of lead could be traced to production of oil and gas, gasoline and diesel, mining, and paint factories, while the high level of phenol compounds could come from the coal, asphalt, oil, and related industries. The compounds are used in the manufacture of pesticides, plastics, soap, and medicine. While there are no factories near the river, there is an oil and gas project operating in the area. The laboratory said it could not pinpoint the oil and gas project as the source of the pollution, but it advised concerned government agencies to continue testing the water in the river to determine the cause of the problem. We will submit our concerns to government agencies, the union government and members of parliament, U Tun Naing said.