Sittwe residents call for regulation of sand-laden dump trucks

By DMG 23 May 2022

DMG Newsroom
23 May 2022, Sittwe 

Residents in the Arakan State capital Sittwe have called on authorities to systematically regulate the movement of sand-carrying dump trucks in the city. 

Dump trucks using city roads are causing traffic congestion, and sand that flies out of dump trucks is also causing troubles for drivers, according to residents. 

“Moreover, drivers of those dump trucks drive recklessly at high speed. When they hit a bump on the road, sand flies out and enters into the eyes of motorbike riders,” said Sittwe resident U Aung Than Wai. 

Residents and shopkeepers along Sittwe’s Strand Road are also suffering. 

Ko Naing Gyi, owner of Naing Gyi Restaurant near Sittwe Hotel, said: “We have customers in the daytime. However, those trucks are driving the whole day at high speed, and also beep loud horns. My infant has had to be hospitalised due to breathing problems caused by dust that comes from those dump trucks.” 

Dump trucks also leave large stretches of sand along the road leading to the beach from Sittwe Hotel, and the sand becomes muddy when it rains, causing inconveniences for beachgoers, said residents. 

“When we went to the beach for relaxation, the road was covered with wet sand the whole way. So, it was not convenient,” said a resident who did not want to be named. 

City authorities have not yet imposed any ban preventing any type of vehicle from driving in Sittwe, said a traffic police officer who asked for anonymity. The Sittwe Township Development Committee is responsible for that, he added. 

DMG was not unable to reach Daw Khin Khin Soe, an executive on the Sittwe Development Committee, on Monday. There is a sand mining site about one mile from Sittwe Hotel on Strand Road.