Survey on groundwater along Ayeyawady River

Yangon May 5

Groundwater along the Ayeyawady River Basin will be surveyed and conservation process will be kicked off as from May, 2017, according to the Directorate of Water Resources and Improvement of Water Systems.

“The survey which will be based on extraction of underground water will be made for six months. Based on the data, necessary measures will be carried out for the conservation of groundwater,” U Tun Lwin Oo, director-general of the Directorate of Water Resources and Improvement of Water Systems. “Excessive use of groundwater can invite land subsidence in the area. Therefore, short- and long-term plan will be drawn and respective organizations will implement the nominated projects to conserve the groundwater,” said U Tun Lwin Oo.

The survey on the groundwater along the Ayeyawady River Basin will be made as part of the Ayeyawady Integrated River Basin Management Project. To make the survey, an agreement was signed with a foreign company in the first week of May.

“The data collection will be made along the Ayeyawady River and its tributaries such as the Chindwin River and the Yangon River,” said project director U Win Hlaing of the Ayeyawady Integrated River Basin Management Project.

Regarding the extraction of groundwater, Myanmar only has data which were collected till 1993. Hence, data are necessary to carry out conservation works.

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Water birds drop at alarming rate: FFI

Yangon February 24

Water bird species are in need of urgent conservation as water birds population along the Ayeyawady River between Myitkyina and Sinbo are decreasing at an alarming rate, according to the Fauna and Flora International (FFI).

From 2003 to 2017, the number of seven species of water birds has declined to between 60 and 98 percent. Goose and crane populations see the highest dropping rate.

A decline in bird species population  is linked to the extension ofagricultural lands, gold mining and bird hunting. The FFI has warned that the pasture will disappear and the river will turn to the polluted one.

The FFI conducted a survey on bird species along the river between Myitkyina and Sinbo during this month. Other bird species remain unchanged even though the number of water bird species is dropping.

The biodiversity will revive when there is a systematic conservation. An expert from the FFI said: “The Ayeyawady River still serves as acrucial place for water birds. I think the river should be designated as a Ramsar Site under the protection of the International Ramsar Convention.”

The Myawady Daily

Workshop on understanding dynamics of Ayeyawady River

Yangon November 21

A workshop on understanding of Myanmar national basin and dynamics of the Ayeyawady River was held at Mandalay Hill Resort Hotel on Saturday in Mandalay.

The workshop was attended by Mandalay Region Chief Minister Dr Zaw Myint Maung and concerned personnel, lawmakers, experts from the Netherlands, personnel of Myanmar Environmental Science, social society organizations and environmental conservation groups.

“We have to address the concerns and daily problems which villagers relying on the ecosystem of the Ayeyawady River are facing, as well as conserve natural resources as a national duty. 

Therefore, we have carried out community-centred strategic environmental assessment to inform these things to scholars, organizations and policymakers across the country,” said professor U Maung Maung Aye.

He called for forming Ayeyawady Basin Authority with experts to conduct scientific researches as soon as possible.

Among the topics of the workshops are informing the public about dynamics of the Ayeyawady River, collaborative conservation of the river for its sustainable development and upgrading of water transport services along the river.

The Ayeyawady River is the lifeblood of Myanmar. It is 1,348 miles long and there are 215 towns and 19,000 villages with a population of 37.2 million along the river which flows through up to 60 percent of the country.

The Myawady Daily