Power cut in Mrauk-U stops oxygen production; flooded Thandwe facility to soon restart operations

04 Aug 2021

DMG Newsroom
4 August 2021, Mrauk-U 

An oxygen plant in Mrauk-U was forced to temporarily halt production as the electricity supply to the town was cut off this week, according to officials from the facility. 

Power was cut from 6 p.m. on Tuesday and the electricity supply was not restored as of 2 p.m. on Wednesday, requiring the oxygen plant to cease operations, said U Than Tun, treasurer of the Nan Yeik Garuna oxygen plant team in Mrauk-U, which spearheaded the effort to get the facility up and running last month. 

U Than Tun said a generator for the plant was purchased but would not arrive until Thursday.  

“I heard that the power will return at 4 p.m. today, but it is not certain,” he said on Wednesday. 

Extended periods of disruption to the electricity in Mrauk-U town could lead to oxygen supplies running out for Covid-19 sufferers and other emergency patients, he added. 

Mrauk-U Hospital has obtained 10 oxygen cylinders from the Arakan State capital Sittwe for patients’ emergency use. When operational, the Mrauk-U plant can reportedly produce enough oxygen to fill 40 40-litre cylinders daily. 

Meanwhile, an oxygen plant in Thandwe Township that was partially inundated by floodwaters last week is expected to restart production in the coming days, according to U Tay Zeinda, an abbot of Theingon Monastery who is helping anti-coronavirus efforts in the township. 

About 25% of the oxygen plant was flooded and the relevant authorities, hospital officials and civil society organisations have worked together for a speedy resumption of operations at the facility, the monk said. 

“The machines come with a two-year warranty, so the company reassembles them,” U Tay Zeinda told DMG. “Once the installation is completed today, the machines will be tested and operational. If we don’t finish it today, it will definitely get done tomorrow. The oxygen plant will be able to run again in a few days.” 

The plant began production on July 25 and can fill 80 oxygen cylinders per day when fully operational. The production capacity is sufficient to fulfill the oxygen needs of Thandwe and surrounding townships, according to the abbot. 

Ko Nyan Tun Min, a philanthropist from a funeral service in Gwa Township that also helps to transport medical oxygen, said production at the plant in Thandwe would help neighbouring Gwa Township, which is experiencing high oxygen demand. 

“Oxygen requirements are high in Gwa Township, but oxygen is only available in the hospitals. And this oxygen is only [available based on] the quota set by the district,” he explained. 

Arakan State does not have adequate oxygen production capacity and must rely on O₂ supplies from other parts of Myanmar to treat Covid patients in the state, Arakan State Administration Council spokesman U Hla Thein told reporters on July 31. He added that restarting operations at the Thandwe facility was a priority for the state’s military government. 

More than 3,000 people from over 700 households were affected by the floods that hit Thandwe Township on July 27.