Water levels in Inle Lake have dropped more sharply this year than in previous dry seasons, with local residents and environmental groups warning that years of stalled conservation efforts and ongoing deforestation are accelerating the lake’s decline.

The worsening drought is affecting transport, access to drinking water, and livelihoods across communities that depend on the lake, raising concerns over long-term environmental damage and food security.

According to local sources, key maintenance work, including the use of large silt-suction dredgers, has not been carried out since 2015. Cleanup and conservation activities have further declined following Myanmar’s recent political instability, allowing sediment to accumulate and disrupt the lake’s natural balance.

U Khin Maung Lat, general secretary of the environmental group Save The Inle Lake, said the combined effects of sediment buildup and deforestation are driving extreme seasonal changes.

“Forests on the hills surrounding Inle Lake are disappearing as upland farming expands. When it rains, silt from these farms is washed directly into the lake. Without dredging, we now face a cycle of drought in the summer and flooding during the monsoon,” he told Shan Herald Agency for News.

Residents say the impact is already being felt in daily life. In some areas east of Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda, streams have dried up completely, cutting off transport routes and forcing communities to buy drinking water.

“The creeks have dried up, and travel has become very difficult. We now have to buy drinking water. Even the wells we rely on are running low. In some places, you can walk across what used to be flowing streams,” said a woman from Thar Lay Village.

Environmental degradation is also affecting the lake’s ecosystem. U Khin Maung Lat said aquatic plants that typically grow near the Phaung Daw Oo area are now failing to thrive, an indication of deeper ecological stress.

Efforts are reportedly underway to raise the issue at the state level and resume conservation work, including dredging operations. However, experts say restoring the lake will require a broader approach.

“This is not just about dredging the lake. We also need to restore forests in the watershed, manage agricultural expansion, and protect tributaries to prevent more silt from entering the lake,” he said.

The Inle Lake region, which includes 43 village tracts and 444 villages, depends on a network of four main creeks and 29 tributaries. Seasonal drought typically begins in April, but residents say conditions this year are significantly worse.

Environmental experts warn that without coordinated intervention — particularly in forest restoration, land-use management, and water conservation — the lake’s condition will continue to deteriorate, threatening the livelihoods of communities that rely on it.