Oxygen plants in Arakan State expected to produce over 27,000 oxygen cylinders per month

By DMG 06 Oct 2021

DMG Newsroom
6 October 2021, Sittwe 

Oxygen plants in 10 Arakan State townships that were built on a self-reliant basis are expected to be able to produce more than 27,100 oxygen cylinders per month starting next month. 

The combined, projected oxygen production capacity will come from individual facilities in Manaung, Ann, Minbya, Rathedaung, Myebon, Mrauk-U, Buthidaung, Ponnagyun, Sittwe and Maungdaw townships. 

“An oxygen machine has arrived in Ann and the oxygen plant is scheduled to start operation in a week as we are currently installing electric wires,” U Thit Lwin, a member of the Ann Township oxygen plant implementation committee, told DMG. 

An oxygen plant in Mrauk-U started operating on July 21. Oxygen-producing facilities in Minbya and Rathedaung townships began to refill tanks on September 10 and September 12, respectively. An oxygen plant in Maungdaw began operations on September 21. 

“Buddhists, Hindus and Muslims in Maungdaw donated to the cause” of setting up the oxygen plant in Maungdaw, said U Hla Myint, chairman of that plant’s implementation committee. 

Oxygen plants in Manaung, Ann, Myebon, Buthidaung, Sittwe and Ponnagyun townships are expected to begin refilling oxygen cylinders this week or next. 

“Construction of an oxygen plant in Sittwe is not completed and we are installing the machine. We will be able to produce oxygen this week,” said U Tin Aung Oo, a leading member of the oxygen plant implementation committee in the Arakan State capital. “We are waiting for some equipment to be delivered from Yangon and when the equipment arrives, we will test and operate the oxygen plant.” 

The locally driven efforts to build oxygen plants aimed to supplement a national supply of medical oxygen that was not up to the challenge of meeting rising pandemic-related need as the third wave of Covid-19 swept across Myanmar this summer. 

As of October 5, a total of 4,910 coronavirus cases and 474 related deaths were reported in Arakan State during the pandemic’s ongoing third wave, according to data compiled by the state’s military government.