Ayeyarwady region office plans to address water shortage demands

Ayeyarwady region office plans to address water shortage demands
Farmland in Ayeyarwady region. Photo: Mizzima

Rural Development Department, Ayeyarwady Region office chief Soe Than told Mizzima that they had a plan to supply water to 446 villages in 18 townships of Ayeyarwady Region and supply 56,966 households with water in response to concerns over El Nino. 
“We told these villages to inform us, at least, one week in advance when they face water shortages. We will supply water to them by road and by waterway. We have sanctioned expenses for fuel which is the main requirement for supplying water to them. Currently, no village has had a water shortage according to information received by our department,” Soe Than told Mizzima.
He went on to say that there would be an estimated transport cost of 629,212,500 kyats for the water supply programme and they would supply and distribute 800 gallons of water to Pho Shwe Puyar village in Ngaputaw Township on March 18. 
Soe Than said, “In previous years we usually supplied 15,000 gallons of water to a village when it faced a water shortage but there will be more need for water this year because of El Nino and the effects will last longer. In the long term, we will build reservoirs in the villages for storing monsoon water and dig shallow and deep wells.”