AA makes preparations to prevent water shortages

By Admin 17 Dec 2024

DMG Newsroom
17 December 2024, Mrauk-U

The Arakkha Army (AA) is making preparations in areas under its control to prevent water shortages this dry season in Arakan State, which suffers from water shortages annually.

The AA said it has implemented water fetching times and restrictions on pumping at public water bodies in Mrauk-U, Minbya, Rathedaung, and Ponnagyun townships.

The AA has restricted the pumping of water from Latsay Lake, which supplies water to residents of Mrauk-U, and only allows residents to take as much as they need.

“Previously, water was distributed on a weekly basis. Now, the AA has set a limit on how much water the locals can fetch, and homes in the highlands can’t use pumps to pump water, and those who don’t follow the rules will be fined,” said a local woman in Mrauk-U.

The AA has also instructed residents in the densely populated villages of Pan Nilar, Aungphyupyin, Thayetcho and Ganantaung in Ponnagyun Township to collect water at regular intervals.

Some villages in Ponnagyun Township are already beginning to experience water shortages, and the AA is providing assistance to internally displaced people (IDPs) and local residents with water.

“The AA donates drinking water to displacement camps. The AA has asked village elders in villages with large numbers of displaced people to fill water tanks to ensure there is no shortage of drinking water,” said a local man in Ponnagyun.

In Minbya, water fetching times have been limited at major lakes, and in the Karmay displacement camp in Rathedaung Township, water is being stored to prevent water shortages.

“When the dry season comes, water will be scarce. To avoid water scarcity, the public needs to use water responsibly,” said Ko Pyae Phyo Naing, chairman of the Ponnagyun Youths Association.

Despite the fact that Arakan State receives 200 inches of rainfall annually, it lacks the facilities to store rainwater, and thus faces water shortages every year.

There are suggestions that sufficient water should be stored in drinking water reservoirs during the rainy season to avoid water shortages every dry season, and that local ordinances should be issued to prevent the cutting down of trees.

As the number of displaced people increases in townships in Arakan State, which faces annual water shortages, the demand for drinking water is also increasing.

In 2023, ponds were dug on a self-reliant basis in Mrauk-U, Minbya, Ponnagyun and Rathedaung townships in preparation for water shortages.