Mizzima

The price of drinking water has gone up in Yangon since small businesses have been forbidden from using electricity at night between the hours of 5:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m.

The ruling from the Yangon Electricity Supply Corporation came into effect on 24 April.

Since then, many businesses supplying purified water, ice cream and ice lollies have had to temporarily close because they do not have a regular, predictable supply of electricity. 

The owner of an ice cream manufacturing company in Yangon said: “Small-scale ice cream manufacturing businesses like ours have had to put production on hold because of the high costs. Before was better because even though [during the day] the power comes on and off in four-hour cycles, electricity was available all night. Now, because we can’t use electricity after 5:00 p.m. the ice cream melts [overnight] and I lose business.

The price of bottled drinking water in Yangon has also gone up since the nighttime power restrictions came in, according to a Yangon housewife.

She said: “Before, a big 20-litre drinking water bottle was just 500 kyats. The price went up to 600 during the Thingyan festival. Now, it costs 800. Since the weather is so hot, people are drinking more water and a bottle is very quickly finished. The drinking water vendors think that the price has gone up because [the drinking water manufacturers] can no longer work at night.”

There are various brands of drinking water on the market. Now regular 20-litre water bottles are priced at 800-900 kyats a bottle and well-known brands are charging up to 1,200 kyats for a 20-litre bottle of water.

The Yangon Electricity Supply Corporation announced that it will take action against any violations of the nighttime restrictions on electricity usage.