Oxygen plants in Mrauk-U and Thandwe restart after temporary disruptions to production

By DMG 05 Aug 2021

DMG Newsroom
5 August 2021, Mrauk-U 

Two oxygen plants in Arakan State’s Thandwe and Mrauk-U townships that had suspended operations for different reasons restarted production on August 5, officials from the facilities said. 

The oxygen plant in Thandwe was inundated by floodwaters on July 27 and remained offline for more than a week. Production resumed on Thursday after repairs were made at the facility, according to Theingon Sayadaw Ashin Tay Zeinda, who is heading up plant operations. 

“The trial run was made yesterday. The factory started filling oxygen [cylinders] today. We will try to operate the plant regularly,” the Sayadaw told DMG. 

Technicians are monitoring operations at the facility and they will train volunteer staff to be able to run it systematically, he said. 

During the flood, about three feet of water entered part of the factory, and relevant authorities, officials from the hospital in the township and civil charity groups worked together to get the plant operating again, he added. 

The oxygen plant started operating on July 25 and manufactures about 80 oxygen cylinders a day. The rebooted facility can fulfil the medical oxygen demand in Thandwe Township and nearby townships. 

Ko Nyan Tun Min, a member of the Gwa Township Free Funeral Service who is transporting oxygen for patients, said the resumption of production at the Thandwe plant could ensure enough oxygen is supplied to Gwa Township, where demand is high. 

“The demand for oxygen in Gwa Township is so high now. But it is available at the hospital and it is provided by ration allocated by the district-level health department,” he said. 

An oxygen plant in Mrauk-U town suspended operations on August 3 after the electricity supply was cut off.  The oxygen supply for the town’s patients had to be brought from Sittwe while the facility was inoperable. 

Operations there have since resumed, and the oxygen plant is producing once again, said U Than Tun, treasurer of the Nan Yeik Garuna oxygen plant team. 

“When the electricity supply was cut off, we tried to operate using a generator that was available in the town. But it couldn’t run the plant. When the generator from Sittwe arrived, the oxygen plant did not run. It can run today,” he said. 

U Hla Thein, spokesperson for Arakan State’s military government, on July 31 told journalists that the state can produce about 150 oxygen cylinders a day, acknowledging that it has to rely on other regions and states in Myanmar to meet the demand in the state. 

During the ongoing third wave of Covid-19, every township in Arakan State has reportedly sought to establish self-help oxygen plants to meet local demand, with varying degrees of success to date.