Crowded temporary terminal near Sittwe feels strain of virus transport disruptions

By Myo Thiri Kyaw 03 Sep 2020

Myo Thiri Kyaw | DMG
3 September, Sittwe  

Space for vehicle parking is inadequate at the Kyauktan temporary terminal in Sittwe Township, Arakan State, according to drivers. 

The local government established a temporary car park at Kyauktan terminal, about 8 miles from the Arakan State capital Sittwe, so that people coming to Sittwe from inland do not directly contact drivers amid a COVID-19 outbreak in the region. 

But as the number of cargo trucks and bowsers using the car park has risen, space for parking has become insufficient, drivers say. 

Commodities are being transported from Ann terminal to the temporary Kyauktan terminal to forestall food shortages in Sittwe as the recent upsurge in COVID-19 infections has disrupted the flow of goods in the region. 

The Kyauktan temporary terminal is sited on a plot of land less than half the size it should be, said U Maung Win Shwe from the Kaythi Oo cargo transport service. 

“About 50 vehicles enter the terminal on a daily basis. In fact, the terminal needs about 4.5 acres of land for the parking of trucks. The present terminal is on about 2 acres of land,” he said. “Vehicles park there and commodities are loaded aboard Hijet [vehicles]. As some areas of the terminal are full of stones, it is difficult to park the cars.” 

Much of the Kyauktan terminal is located on stony wetlands and as such, freight handling is undertaken on the road, said an official from the Shwe Pyi Thit advanced passenger and cargo transport service. 

“As it is a farmland area, vehicles cannot use it during the monsoon. Even if the terminal is filled with gravel, it cannot be made convenient for users yet. During the monsoon, upgrading the terminal will cost a large sum of money,” he said. 

Arakan State Minister for Development Affairs U Win Myint, a state government spokesperson, said the state government allotted as much land as it could for the temporary terminal, adding that drivers should park their vehicles in a systematic manner to maximise the space’s use. 

“Drivers should control their actions in parking the cars systematically. Such a temporary terminal is roughly equal to that of the Sittwe urban area,” said U Win Myint. 

Transport costs have doubled since goods have been rerouted through the temporary Kyauktan terminal, said U Maung Hla Thein, a seller of groceries at the Sittwe Myoma market. 

“We spend double costs for the goods. As now is the COVID-19 period, some goods cannot be sold. And we have accepted losses in increasing transport charges for commodities,” he added.