Sittwe development committee says residents can inform it if they face water shortages

By DMG 29 Apr 2021

DMG Newsroom
29 April 2021, Sittwe

Residents facing water scarcity in the Arakan State capital Sittwe can inform the Sittwe Township Development Affairs Committee in order to access water, according to U Kyaw Myo Htay, an engineer for the committee.

Capital residents depend on water from Kandawgyi Lake and are now facing water shortages in the summer months due to increased population in Sittwe and lower rainfall totals, he said.

“The lake was built during the British era for 50,000 people. The population of the capital is now about 300,000. So, the bank is built higher to have capacity more water, but the rainfall is lower and we could not reserve water as we expected,” he explained.

“The rainfall previously was about 200 inches but it is about 160 inches now,” he added.

There are 17 lakes, 31 wells and more than 8,000 artesian wells in Sittwe, where there are 33 wards, he said.

Since the water demand is 1.9 million gallons, the committee is supplying water by pumping water from 48 artesian wells to ensure water supply for the people, he added.

“We cannot supply water to all 33 wards. We cannot supply water to three wards. However, we are trying to supply water to them,” he said, adding that if a ward informs the committee about a water shortage, it will provide water by car if there is no pipeline there.

“IDP camps and monasteries can also inform the committee if they face water shortages. We will provide water as soon as possible,” he said.

Sittwe’s Setyonesu ward is accustomed to facing water scarcity annually beginning in early April, and residents have to buy water for K3,000 a barrel, according to Daw Yi Yi Than, a resident of the ward.

“If the lake dries up, we are facing water shortage. We do not know where we should report. I heard water is provided at some wards but it is not sufficient,” she said.

The Sittwe Township Development Affairs Committee has submitted plans to relevant authorities to supply sufficient water to the capital, which is plagued by water shortages each summer.