Storm-hit roads and bridges yet to be repaired in Arakan State

By Admin 16 Oct 2023

DMG Newsroom
16 October 2023, Sittwe
 
Roads and bridges damaged by Cyclone Mocha in Arakan State are yet to be repaired more than five months after the devastating storm hit the state, according to residents.
 
Agnumaw Jetty in Rathedaung Township has yet to be repaired, creating difficulties in transportation and the loading and unloading of goods, said residents. The jetty is used by residents from four townships; namely Maungdaw, Buthidaung, Rathedaung and Sittwe.
 
The iron deck of the pier was damaged by the storm, leaving holes in it and causing danger for elderly persons, children and workers, said local administrator U Kyaw Than Hlaing.
 
“The pier is very dangerous. People have to exercise extra caution when they use the pier. I heard it would be repaired soon,” he said.
 
The pier was built by Bridge Asia Japan and the World Food Programme in 2015. It measures 45 feet long and 30.5 feet wide.
 
Rathedaung Township administrator U Naing Lin Htet said: “I have not yet been officially informed about the plan to build a new pier. The relevant department is conducting a survey. I’d guess construction could start in the next two weeks.”
 
The pier at the central market in Sittwe is also yet to be repaired after it was damaged by the storm, said residents. Travellers and boatmen have called on authorities to repair it as early as possible.
 
“The pier was damaged by the storm. People often slip on the pier and get injured because of moss,” said U Aung Tun Win from Thae Khon Village in Pauktaw Township.
 
The pier is used by locals from Pauktaw, Myebon and Minbya townships to buy and sell goods at the central market.
 
Locals have taken to repairing roads and bridges by themselves as authorities have failed to do so. An earth road in Ngamanyegyi Village, Myebon Township, was damaged by a storm surge as the cyclone made landfall. The road is crucial for 11 villages on the island.
 
The township administrator has not yet responded to requests from locals to repair the road, said U Aung Naing Soe, the administrator of Ngamanyegyi Village.
 
“We have filled up the land using backhoes with our own money. Otherwise, farms by the road would be damaged by the tide. The road is OK to use on sunny days, but not on rainy days,” he said.
 
The road is crucial for the ability of residents from some 11 villages to travel to Myebon town.
 
A suspension bridge in Thayetchaung Village, Rathedaung Township, was also damaged in the storm and is yet to be repaired. The bridge is used by the residents of some nine villages.
 
“We villagers have only repaired the damaged parts for temporary use. We can use the bridge for now. We can’t afford to repair it thoroughly. We plan to repair it in the hot season,” said villager U Soe Hla Aye from Thayetchaung Village. The bridge was built with funds contributed by local residents in 2013.
 
More than 1.1 million people were affected by Cyclone Mocha, which destroyed or damaged over 24,000 buildings, according to the Arakan State military council. More than 75 percent of the population in Arakan State is rural, and poor transportation networks have hindered development in the region for decades.