Drinking water still scarce in many villages

More than 20,000 of the 60,000-plus villages in Myanmar still don’t have sufficient drinking water, according to the Rural Area Development department under the Ministry of Livestock, Fisheries and Rural Development.

“The government is now co-operating with international organisations and concerned local citizens, including the Ministry of Livestock, Fisheries and Rural Development, in digging wells and lakes so rain water can be collected. 

They are also re-constructing old lakes in villages across the country that do not have access to sufficient drinking water,” said Myint Oo, deputy director-general of Rural Area Development department.

“There are more than 20,000 villages that do not have access to enough drinking water. That’s why we are now carrying out a project to supply sufficient drinking water and submitting a budget proposal to the government. Most of the villages face a scarcity of drinking water. In arid zones, the water can be acquired after digging a well deep enough. But villagers don’t have the means to dig deep wells,” Myint Oo said.

Most villages in the arid zone suffer from a drinking water shortage every summer.

Aung Zaw, who lives in Paypin Kone village in Chauk Township, Magway Region, said there has been a scarcity of water in previous years, but that the situation has improved.

“We used to have to go more than 2 kilometres to get the water. Then, we had to pay at least 11,000 kyat [more than Bt300] per barrel,” he said. “But last year the authorities dug wells in our village and thanks to that, we have been getting enough drinking water. There are many villages in Chauk Township, in Magway Region, central Myanmar, that still don’t have enough drinking water. The villagers face water shortages every summer.” 

Kauk Ra, who lives in Chauk Kyar village in Taungdwin Gyi Township, Magway Region, also said the community suffers from water shortages every year.

“We bought drinking water late in the summer as the lake in our village could not be 

used to store water as it was muddy.”