Mrauk-U residents criticise junta plan to supply water from local lake

By Admin 22 Mar 2023

DMG Newsroom
22 March 2023, Mrauk-U

Mrauk-U residents have criticised the Myanmar military regime’s plan to supply water from a local lake to townspeople during the hot season, calling on authorities to properly treat the water first.

Let Sel Lake, a major water supply for wards in Mrauk-U town, is drying up, and residents are therefore facing water shortages that are likely to get more severe before they ease with the arrival of monsoon rains, which typically come around May.

The regime is planning to pipe water from Anuma Lake into Let Sel Lake using pumps.

But local residents have long complained about the quality of water supplied to households from Let Sel Lake.

A community elder from Taung Yet Ward in Mrauk-U said: “The tap water supplied to households in Mrauk-U is quite bad. The water is rusty, and we have to wait for at least one day for sediment to settle before using the water.”

Daw Khin Than, chairwoman of the Mrauk-U Ancient Cultural Heritage Conservation Group, said: “People swim and wash their clothes at Anuma Lake. Can the authorities guarantee the cleanliness of the water? The water might be contaminated.”

Executive officer U Shwe Maung of the Mrauk-U municipality said: “We understand locals have concerns that the water might be dirtier. However, we will make sure it is clean. We will prevent people from bathing, fishing and farming at and near the lake. We will take legal action.”

The two lakes are separated by an embankment, and some local residents have called for demolishing the embankment to make the two lakes into one. Locals have also called on the regime to develop a lasting solution, rather than short-term fixes, to address water shortages in Mrauk-U.

Let Sel Lake has dried up earlier than usual this year due to low rainfall in Arakan last year and agricultural practices near the lake.

“There is a need to dredge the lake. The problem could be worse next year, otherwise,” said U Than Tun from Aung Mingalar Ward in Mrauk-U.

Despite the fact that Arakan State is rich in water sources, both urban and rural areas face water shortages annually during the hot season.