Water Scarce in Arakan State

Sittwe: Rainfall in Arakan State averages from 180 to 250 inches every year, but the state faces a water shortage every time summer comes to the state. This year, many areas throughout Arakan State, including the capital, area are facing water shortages due to the lack of rainfall and increasingly hot temperatures this summer.

In Sittwe, there is a reservoir known as Kandaw Gyi that was built by the British government during its rule in Arakan to distribute water to the 25,000 inhabitants who lived there at the time. The population has now reached 200,000 but the authority continues to distribute water from the same pond without expanding the water supply to accommodate the population growth.

The military authority knows of the situation in Sittwe and the shortage of water due to an inadequate reservoir, but the military has never taken steps or plans to solve the problem.

In Sittwe, there are 32 wards where 200,000 people are living. All wards in Sittwe are facing a water shortage at present because the authority can not provide enough water from Kandaw Gyi pond.

According to sources, because the temperatures are high and there has been no rain this summer, Kandaw Gyi has actually dried up.

The authority has transported water to Kandaw Gyi from the Aung Din Dam through a pipeline in order to distribute water in Sittwe, but the water is difficult to use because it is salty and dirty.

A rich housemaid from Sittwe said, "The water supply from Aung Dai Dam is not clean and is salty so people can not use it. So we use mineral water imported from Mrauk U, but the mineral water, called "King", is insufficient for Sittwe's residents due to the high demand. So we have to buy the mineral water on a quota system."

However, many poor families in Sittwe are unable to afford the mineral water and have to use water from nearby tube wells and other wells, transporting the water in pots. However, this water is still insufficient to meet Sittwe's needs.

According to a source, some mobile water tanks owned by the municipality and the army come to some wards in Sittwe every evening to distribute water to people. Without this supply from the municipality and the army people in Sittwe would be struggling to survive.

A businessman who visited the Kandaw Gyi reservoir yesterday said that if it does not rain in the next few days, people in Sittwe will be facing an even bigger crisis because there is simply no water in Sittwe. The water being supplied by the city and army to the wards is now coming from the reservoir.

In Sittwe, many people in the poorer wards are unable to even bath every day due to the shortage. They have also had to use dirty water for drinking and cooking.

Another source said that not only Sittwe but also other areas of Arakan are having similar problems, and many Arakanese people in rural areas are facing a water shortage.

In Pauktaw Township, 20 miles east of Sittwe, many cattle have died from lack of drinking water, after the cattle ponds dried up.

The island of Nga Pri east of Sittwe has been the most severely affected by the water shortage, and some welfare organizations in Sittwe have been sending water to the island by boat from other water rich areas.

Many rural villages from the townships of Thandwe, Rathidaung, Buthidaung, Ponna Kyunt, Maybon, Kyauk Pru, and Manaung in Arakan State are facing water shortages and people are concerned that a disease outbreak will occur as a result.

The military announce through its mouthpiece newspaper and radio yesterday that the government and welfare organizations are supplying water to the affected areas out of goodwill. However, most areas in Arakan State have not seen any emergency water supplied by the authority.

Source :http://www.narinjara.com/details.asp?id=2598