Prompt actions in need to save Spirulina Lake

Twin Daung Lake is situated in Sagaing’s Budalin Township.

Yangon January 16

Prompt actions are required to prevent spirulina from disappearing in Twin Daung Lake following the steep decline in production of the rare algae unique to the lake in Sagaing’s Budalin Township.

"The production of algae has been suspended since 2013, as the production started to decline largely in 2012 as a result of freshwater seeping into the lake," said a responsible person of Renewable Energy Association Myanmar.

Freshwater comes from Ye Budalin irrigation canal, which opened in 2006 to irrigate farmlands in the area.

"Three years into suspension of the production, concerned authorities still can’t control freshwater seeping into the lake," he said, calling for national level actions to conserve the lake, which is also a tourist attraction to both local and foreign visitors.

Myanmar Pharmaceutical Industries began harvesting natural blooms of spirulina at Twin Daung in 1988. Each year it produces about 150 tons of dry spirulina, a bluegreen algae that is rich in protein and widely used in traditional medicine.

The uniquely high pH level of the water at Twin Daung’s volcanic lake has enabled the rare spirulina algae to bloom at the mountain, one of only four natural sites in the world. While spirulina requires a pH level of about 9, the water coming into the lake has a pH of 7, seriously affecting the eco-system that algae needs to bloom.

Spirulina production was halted in 2013 after production declined by 75 percent.

The Myawady Daily