Inlay drying up

The famous Inlay Lake in Myanmar’s southern Shan State is drying up, with local people facing water shortages and difficulties in water transport.  
With the lake rapidly drying up, motorboats could not run around the Inlay Phaungdaw-U Pagoda, said one of the boatmen.
“Previously, there was water around this Minethauk wharf. But now there is almost no water. Motorboats can no longer run. We have four wharves. We transport visitors by charging them a small fee,” said one boatman, Soe Win.
San Yin, a shopkeeper from the pagoda said: “The Inlay Lake has been drying up for over a month. We mostly used bottled water. The local people have been using the water from this lake since 1936. But it is 10 years since we have stopped using the water for drinking. One-litre bottled water cost Ks 500 here. I bring bottled water from Nyaungshwe and sell them here. Today, authorities started dredging the lake for silt.”   
The local residents in the Inlay region have long been using bottled water for drinking while some villages have started digging more artesian wells. 
“About 15 years ago, the lake was as deep as 18 feet. But now it is only about six feet deep. The areas around the Phaungdaw-U Pagoda have totally dried up,” said Soe Myint Thaung, chairman of Inlay Lake Motorboat Service.
He blamed the drying up of the lake on deforestation and lack of embankments to prevent silting. 
 “The Inlay Lake is famous for its one-legged rowers and floating plantations. It is the second largest foreign exchange earner after Bagan. So the lake should be well conserved. People will take more interest if they (the government) implement a short-term three- or five-year project rather than a long-term one. I’m worried the Inlay Lake could disappear in the next five years,” he commented.
Heat waves hit several parts of Myanmar.
According to the Meteorological and Hydrology Department, Myanmar is suffering from severe hot weather condition with temperature looming at 40 degree Celcius especially in the middle and lower regions, according to the Meteorological and Hydrology Department.
“Yangon’s temperature is 40C now and it is slightly lower than last year’s temperature. In March, the temperature was over the record in two areas. Temperature in Chauk is about 44C now. There may be some rainfall in coming days to relieve the high temperatures,” said Kyaw Moe Oo, deputy director general of the department.
Sagaing, Mandalay and Tanintaryi regions and Kachin, Shan and Chin states will have rainfall within the next five-day period, according to the department.
Mandalay, the second largest city in Myanmar, is sizzling under intense heat wave as temperature skyrocketed, according to local residents.
Since the beginning of March, Mandalay has averaged 38C. On April 20, it recorded the highest temperature - 39.2C, according to the Mandalay Region’s Meteorological and Hydrology Department.