Electrical industry of burma/myanmar

Additional references
See below: ‘Completion of hydropower plants assigned highest priority’ (MT: 12/02/07)

‘Government will prioritize hydropower projects over gas’ (MT: 10/07/06)

‘Generation facilities scheduled for commissioning in 2002-2004’ (MT 07/01/02)

‘More inputs needed to power a hydro future’ (MT: 04/06/01)

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Kyaw Ye Min, NLM, 20/02/09. http://www.burmalibrary.org/docs6/NLM2009-02-20.pdf

In 1988, there were 14 hydropower plants, two of which could generate more than 10 megawatts each: Baluchaung 2 (Lawpita) and Kinda. Since then, 36 more hydropower plants have been constructed, including 13 large ones. Currently, Myanmar has 50 hydropower plants of which 15 are large facilities: Baluchaung 1 & 2, Kinda, Hsedawgyi, Zawgyi 1 & 2, Zaungtu, Thaphanseik, Monchaung, Paunglaung, Yenwe, Khabaung, Shweli 1, Kengtawng and Tikyit (sic). Work is ongoing on 23 other hydropower projects that will meet the increasing domestic demand for electricity. Six of them — Uppper Paunglaung, Nancho, Yeywa, Kunchaung, Pyuchaung and Shwekyin hydropower projects are due to be completed in 2009-2010. Two others will be completed in 2010-2011: Thaukyaykhat 2 and An. Thahtay hydropower project is to be finished in 2011-12; and Upper Kengtawng hydropower project by 2012-2013. By then, Myanmar’s electric power supply [capacity] will hit 2999.5 MW. That will exceed the demand and no region of the nation will face shortage of electricity.

Currently, thirteen hydropower projects, namely, Shweli 2, Htamanthi, Tahsan [Tasang], Hatkyi [Hutgyi], Chibwe, Chibwenge, Tapein 1 & 2, Upper Thanlwin, Taninthayi, Baluchaung 3 and Sai Tin are being implemented jointly with foreign investors. Upon completion, these projects will be able to produce over 21,000 MW. megawatts. Thirteen hydropower projects which will be able generate 11,850 MW will be implemented in the near future. Some are to be undertaken by related ministries, while other will be undertaken as joint ventures (JV) or under the system known as ‘Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT). Therefore, local electric power demand will be fulfilled soon, and the surplus will be exported to neighbouring countries. In reality, those projects are very heartening.
Compiler’s note: Several dam construction projects west of the Irrawaddy that are well underway have been omitted from the lists in this article, including the Kyee-ohn Kyee-wa and Myittha projects in Magwe division and the Manipura project in Sagaing division. This is probably because work on these and others not mentioned here is being carried out by the Dept of Irrigation of the A&I Ministry, whereas the writer appears to have used sources in the two electric power ministries for for the information he presents. The Tikyit power station depends on coal and not hydropower to generate electricity, as the writer claims. Besides the updated schedule for the completion of several of the projects mentioned, it is to be noted that mention is made for the first time that the Balunchaung 3 (B3) and Sai Tin (Saingdin) (SD) projects are being undertaken with the collaboration of foreign investors.
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NLM, 29/11/08. http://www.burmalibrary.org/docs6/NLM2008-11-29.pdf

Excerpt from an keynote address delivered on 29/11/08 by General Than Shwe to the Annual General Meeting of the USDA, the mass organization patronized by Myanmar’s military government: “As for the electricity sector, there was only 228 megawatts in the past. But there have now been 977 megawatts thanks to the Yenwe, Shweli and Kengtawng hydropower plants. Efforts are being made to complete 14 projects as soon as possible in order to produce more than 10000 megawatts of electricity. For fulfilling the electricity need of the people, national grids are being built.”

NLM, 19/11/08. http://www.burmalibrary.org/docs5/NLM2008-11-19.pdf

Thanks to the implementation of hydel power projects which underpin the development of the country, the amount of power output has increased from 200 megawatts to about 900 megawatts.

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RESTORATION OF ELECTRIC POWER TO IRRAWADDY DELTA GIVEN PRIORITY

Hla Hla Htay, AFP, 01/07/08. http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080702/wl_asia_afp/myanmarcyclonecapital

Two months after deadly Cyclone Nargis struck Myanmar, the military regime's new capital is suffering the economic ripple effects, as construction crews leave to rebuild devastated towns. The cyclone ripped across the Irrawaddy delta, 270 miles (435 km) south of Naypyidaw, wiping away entire villages and seriously damaging important trading towns, including Myanmar's main city Yangon. More than 138,000 people are dead or missing, while homes, roads, bridges and schools have been destroyed.
Before the storm, Naypyidaw was filled with construction crews as the military embarked on ambitious building projects for their new capital, which they call "the abode of kings." Now, many of the workers have left to take new jobs in the Irrawaddy -- a swampy region a world away from the scrubby highlands where they had been working. "The construction workers from Naypyidaw sites will work at tower foundations for electricity projects, as the Irrawaddy delta needs electricity first," said Moe Moe, a 32-year-old manager for a construction firm based in Yangon. "Later, the workers will also work on renovating schools and building projects," she told AFP. "Meanwhile, some construction is also continuing in Naypyidaw."
Naypyidaw was built in secret, known only through rumours until the military regime abruptly ordered the government to move here at the crack of dawn on November 7, 2005, a moment deemed auspicious by the generals' top astrologers. At the time, construction crews were everywhere. The city had no schools, no clinics, few phone lines -- not even a grocery store. In the years since, neatly organised hotels, apartment blocks, and government offices have sprung up. A new six-lane highway to link the country's main cities of Yangon and Mandalay is more than half finished. It will slash the travelling time to Naypyidaw, which lies roughly between the two.
Electricity here runs 24 hours a day -- an unthinkable luxury elsewhere in Myanmar -- and the generals have even opened a sprawling new zoo, although tourists are not allowed to visit the city. Construction workers have been the backbone of the rapidly evolving city. Now that many of them are in the delta, residents say business is sagging and the remaining building sites sit idle.
Compiler’s note: Only the major towns in the lower delta area of the Irrawaddy most impacted by Cyclone Nargis have had public electric power service up to now. Public power supply in the township centres of Labutta, Bogalay and Mawlamyaing-gyun has been through isolated diesel-fuelled generators, available for one or two hours a day. Other township centres in the area impacted by the cyclone have been served through extended service from the main sub-station in the Yangon suburb of Hlaingthaya.
Additional references:
For a complete listing of articles on the impact of Cyclone Nargis, see: ‘Impact of Cyclone Nargis on Myanmar’s electricity sector’.
NLM, 24/06/09. http://www.burmalibrary.org/docs07/NLM2009-06-24.pdf

At the 66-kV Power Station under construction near the 3rd Mile Housing Project in Labutta, Deputy Chief Engineer Thein Hlaing reports to the PM on the installation of cables to Myaungmya Power Station.

NLM, 06/05/09. http://www.burmalibrary.org/docs07/NLM2009-05-06.pdf

EPM No 2 Khin Maung Myint reports to the Special Projects Committee (SPIC) that among the ongoing grid projects being carried by the ministry are one to relocate the Hlinethaya- Athoke 230-kV (Gazindaw) lines across the Ayeyawady river and a grid project to install a 36.34-mile-long, 66-kV transmission line between Myaungmya and Labutta. The ongoing sub-power station projects include a project to install a 66-kV switch bay at the 66-kV Myaungmya subpower station and [to construct and equip] a 66/11-kV, 10-MVA subpower station at Labutta.

Washington Post, 06 /07/08.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/05/AR2008070501923_pf.html

Two months after a cyclone ravaged the fertile Irrawaddy Delta, in Burma's southwest, the bones of drowning victims still clutter the muddy banks of waterways. To reach the village [where we were headed in the Meinmahla-gyun forest reserve] required a seven-hour drive along a potholed, tire-shredding road from Rangoon to the rural hub of Bogalay, past four police checkpoints where documents were rigorously scanned. Against a backdrop of peaceful rice paddies, strange touches stood out: a patchwork of blue and red tarpaulins stretched across delicate palm-thatched huts; decapitated golden pagodas; and peaked iron roofs blown like dead leaves onto the roadside. From Bogalay, where electricity has barely crackled back to life, the journey continued aboard a motorized boat loaded with supplies. The riverbanks form a cemetery for cyclone victims whose bodies floated for weeks along the waterways and whose remains, at low tide, now whiten in the mud.

NLM, 02/07/08. http://mission.itu.int/MISSIONS/Myanmar/08nlm/n080702.htm

EPM No 2 Khin Maung Myint, Deputy Minister Win Myint and officials inspected the construction of the 230- kV (Hlinethaya-Athoke) tension tower (T-147) across the Ayeyawady River, the laying of bored pile, pile cap and pile cap footing near Kazindaw Village in Pantanaw township, the arrival of related materials and the construction of the tower by Golden Tri Star Co Ltd on 30 June. V-C Aung Than and MD Myo Naung of Golden Tri Star reported on progress of their company's work while officials the Dept of Water Resources and Improvement of River Systems reported on work undertaken by their [field units]. The minister gave insructions on durability of the towers, systematic survey of waterway in the river, timely installation of the new towers and preventive measures against erosion and the rising tides in the Ayeyawady river.

NLM, 13/06/08. http://www.burmalibrary.org/docs5/NLM2008-06-13.pdf

When the [Myanmar] media group arrived at Mawlamyinegyun, . . . the urban area was being supplied with electricity by generator. Telephones were in use. It could be witnessed that some rice mills had resumed work as usual around areas of Mawlamyinegyun. [Translation of article from Myanmar Alin: 08/06/08);

NLM, 12/06/08. http://www.burmalibrary.org/docs5/NLM2008-06-12.pdf

The erection of lamp-posts and installation of electric power lines in Mawlamyinegyun township is being carried out by personnel of the EPM No 2. Ninety percent of the work has been completed. According to the

[engineer] in charge of electric power in the township the power line across the Ma Hninzi river has been re-installed and the work of setting up poles is in progress. Electricity will be supplied soon, he said.
NLM, 11/06/08. http://www.burmalibrary.org/docs5/NLM2008-06-11.pdf

PM Thein Sein and party inspect the erection of lamp-posts [poles] and installation of 33-kV power lines along the Kawhmu-Kungyangon road. At the [MEPE] control camp EPM No 2 Khin Maung Myint reports on the installation of 33-kV power lines linking Kawhmu, Kungyangon and Dedaye townships. [The article in the print edition of NLM includes photos on page 8 of the positioning of the poles.]

NLM, 10/06/08. http://www.burmalibrary.org/docs5/NLM2008-06-10.pdf

Fallen trees have been cleared in Dedaye from religious buildings, offices, schools, the hospital and roads in Dedaye and 176 employees of MEPE have repaired the 33-kV cable linking Kungyangon and Dedaye. They have re-erected 20 pylons that connect the 11-kV cables between the two towns. 100-kV generators are being used to supply power to religious buildings, offices and hospitals.

NLM, 08/06/08. http://www.burmalibrary.org/docs5/NLM2008-06-08.pdf

EPM No 2 Khin Maung Myint and officials inspected repairs of damaged power lines and maintenance of power lines in Kawhmu township yesterday. The minister and party also inspected the repairs of power lines along Kawhmu-Kungyangon motor road and gave instructions to the officials. At the Township Electric Engineer’s­ Office in Kungyangon, the minister inspected the 33/11-kV (2.5 MVA) and 300 kVA transformers office building and construction of new staff quarters and attended to their needs.

NLM, 30/05/08. http://myanmargeneva.org/NLM2008/eng/5May/n080530.pdf

Twelve concrete lamp-posts, an iron lamp-post and 130 wood lamp-posts fell down and 43 iron lamp-posts were bent over in Labutta during Cyclone Nargis. Due to the efforts of the township electric power supply board, a total of 100 lamp-posts — 44 new wood lamp-posts, 10 old lamp-posts, three old concrete lamp-posts and 43 old iron lamp-posts — have been set up in the town and electricity is being supplied to departmental offices, relief camps and street lights. Arrangements are under way to supply power to the town wards.

NLM, 18/05/08. http://burmalibrary.org/docs4/NLM2008-05-18.pdf

EPM No 2 Khin Maung Myint inspected production and distribution of lamp posts at the YESB [factory] in Hlinethaya Township on 16/05/08. While he was there, the minister looked into the production of a "steel fix and steel sieve" to be used in construction of the concrete lamp posts. From there, he went on to inspect the work of skilled technicians erecting pylons and the installation of 33-kV, double circuit power lines linking the [main] sub-power station and the IZs along the Hlinethaya-Nyaungdon motorway. In the afternoon, the minister and Deputy Minister Win Myint oversaw the installation of power lines, connections and the supply of power at the district electrical engineer's office in Ma-ubin.

NLM, 17/05/08. http://burmalibrary.org/docs4/NLM2008-05-17.pdf

EPM No 2 Khin Maung Myint inspected the repair of 33-kV pylons along the Hlinethaya-Nyaungdon power line. 16 of the pylons were damaged by Cyclone Nargis at the beginning of May. Arrangements are being made to supply power to Nyaungdon and Ma-ubin townships in Ayeyawady Division on 14 May. The minister also looked into reconstruction of pylons used to supply power from the [main] Hlinethaya subpower station to Shwelinban IZ and sub-power stations No 1 and 2, as well as the installation of power lines and repair works. [Article in the print edition of NLM is accompanied by a photo of the interior of the [main] sub-power station in Hlinethaya.

NLM, 10/05/08. http://burmalibrary.org/docs4/NLM2008-05-10.pdf

On 7 May, EPM No 2 Khin Maung Myint inspected the supply of power at Hlinethaya 100-MVA main power station and the rebuilding of No 31 pylon of the Hlinethaya - Athok 230-kV national grid. The minister also supervised preparations for re-erecting of pylons along the Yangon-Hlinethaya road.

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YESB: FIVE BILLION KYAT SPENT ON POWER LINE REPAIR IN YANGON

Myo Myo, Myanmar Times, 16/06/08. http://www.mmtimes.com/no423/n002.htm

The Yangon City Electricity Supply Board (YESB) has nearly finished repairing power lines destroyed by cyclone Nargis, at a total cost of Ks 5 billion, said an official from the Ministry of Electric Power No 2. “We started installing new power lines to provide electricity in Yangon from May 3. Now about 92 percent of the city is receiving electricity and we are trying to reach 100pc,” said U Maung Maung Latt, the secretary of YESB under the ministry.
A total of 8966 lamp posts, 8642 bulbs and 217,170 feet of electricity cable were damaged by the cyclone. “We repaired the power lines, and the other materials we needed, especially lamp posts, were brought in from other divisions and states, like Mandalay, Bago, Sagaing, Nay Pyi Taw and Aye Thar Yar in Shan State, where the factories are located,” U Maung Maung Latt said. “The damage in Yangon was worst in the eastern and southern districts, where most of the lamp posts were down. In the eastern district the level of supply is now 96.22pc, the western district has 100pc, the southern 76.6pc and the northern district 94.85pc,” U Maung Maung Latt said.
He added that some areas of Yangon that were only getting six or 12 hours of electricity a day are now getting 24-hour supplies. “Before the cyclone, Yangon Division was getting a supply of 270MW of power a day, mostly from natural gas supplied by Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise. But now we’re getting 533 MW daily so we can provide 24-hour electricity,” he said.
Daw Aye Aye Myint, a housewife who lives in North Okkalapa township, said she was very happy with the increase in electricity supplies. “Before the cyclone, we alternated between six and 12 hours of electricity a day. We often had to cook meals using wood and charcoal, which added to our expenses. But now we have electricity all the time,” she said.
U Nay Zaw, a shopkeeper from Hlaing Tharyar township, also said he was pleased about the increase in electricity supplies. “We used to have limited power but now we have electricity almost all the time, except for occasion brief blackouts. We’re praying that our power supplies stay consistent,” he said.
Additional references:
For a complete listing of articles on the impact of Cyclone Nargis, see: ‘Impact of Cyclone Nargis on Myanmar’s electricity sector’.

Agreement signed during visit of General Than Shwe to India, 29/07/10.

http://www.burmanet.org/news/2010/07/29/mea-government-of-india-joint-statement-during-the-visit-of-chairman-state-peace-and-development-council-of-myanmar/

Official assistance from India included the supply of 16 electricity transformers and 20 biomass gasifiers.

NLM, 17/08/08. http://www.burmalibrary.org/docs5/NLM2008-08-17.pdf

EGAT under the Ministry of Energy of Thailand and its partner company Ratchaburi Electricity Generating Holding Public Co Ltd donated 1,800 sets of lamp-posts worth B6.5 million for rehabilitation in storm-hit areas. Governor of EGAT Sornbut Sarntijaree explained the purpose of the donation. Among those accepting the donation at the Sedona Hotel was the Chairman Khin Maung Soe of the Yangon City Electricity Supply Board.

NLM, 02/07/08. http://mission.itu.int/MISSIONS/Myanmar/08nlm/n080702.htm

When Lt-Gen Myint Swe of the MoD visited Kamanat main subpower station of MEPE in Bago on 01/07/08. he was welcomed by EPM No 2 Khin Maung Myint, D-G Tin Aung of the EPSE, Ch of YEPSB Khin Maung Soe and officials. Lt-Gen Myint Swe was briefed on the erection of concrete towers along the 61-mi-long, 230-kV Kamanat -Thanlyin main power line project and the 40-mile-long, 230-kV Kamanat – Myaungtaga power line. Pointing out that these lines were required to supply the electric power demand in Yangon, he called for speedy completion of the tasks in building them. This was necessary, he said, so that more power could be supplied to the industrial zones including Myaungtaga IZ.

NLM, 22/06/08. http://myanmargeneva.org/NLM2008/eng/6June/n080622.pdf

The Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and the Korean Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) donated electrical wire 60-mm² cables to be used in the repair and reconstruction of power lines which were damaged by Cycone Nargis to the Yangon City Electricity Supply Board.

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PHARMA FACTORY NOMINATED FOR ENERGY AWARD

Htar Htar Khin, Myanmar Times, 16/06/08. http://www.mmtimes.com/no423/b006.htm

Myanmar Engineering Society (MES) and the Ministry of Energy have chosen three entrants for ASEAN energy management awards, which will be handed out in August. Fame Pharmaceutical’s factory in Hlaing Tharyar Industrial Zone (3) was nominated for the Energy Management in Buildings and Industries (factory) energy management award.
The building’s chief engineer, U Naing Lin Aung, said the factory has been running since 1999 and employs 280 workers. However, despite the factory’s ‘established’ status, several recent innovations encouraged the MES to choose it as an entrant. “In March 2007 we implemented a series of energy saving measures – including a strong reliance on recycling and the use of solar energy,” he said. “To save energy, we’re now using a ‘natural sun drying room’ that relies on solar power, a ‘natural air drying room’ that uses ambient heat from the building, and the recycling of waste materials though our ‘forced fire block machine’,” he said.
U Naing Lin Aung explained the solar-powered drying room as en example of the energy saving methods the factory employs. He said the room was built using an “all glass frame”, which allows the room to reach 60 degrees Celsius. This heat is used to refine 250 litres of pharmaceutical extract in three days – a process that normally takes a 2000-watt oven five days. This, he said, saved the company 200 kilowatt hours every day. And he said that processing and pressing hot waste products into blocks allowed the company to reduce its reliance on charcoal. “The use of forced fire blocks allows us to reduce our methane gas emissions by 31 percent,” he said.
With all three measures combined, U Naing Lin Aung said the factory’s energy consumption had dropped by 24pc since they were introduced. “For the 2006 year our energy efficiency index was 11,600 kilojoules per kilogram. In 2007 we reduced that figure to 8790, meaning we’ve improved our efficiency by nearly one quarter. We’re aiming to reduce that figure to 30pc by 2010,” he added.
Additional references:
See below: ‘Solar power seen as solution for remote villages’ (MT: 06/10/03)
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MYANMAR TO BUILD FIRST STORM-RESISTANT MODEL VILLAGE

Bernama, 12/06/08. http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v3/news_lite.php?id=338911

Myanmar will build its first-ever storm-resistant model village in co-operation with international experts, said Xinhua news agency quoting a report in the leading local weekly Yangon Times. With the assistance of experts from Tokyo University of Japan using the technical know-how applied in cyclone-prone Bangladesh, Pakistan and India, and local regions of Myanmar, a cyclone-resistant model village will be constructed, the report said, quoting Myanmar Engineers' Association.
The first model village will be built in a suitable location in Yangon division, one of the two areas hardest hit by Cyclone Nargis at the beginning of May this year. It is targeted for completion by February 2010, the report said. The project will be under the joint co-ordination of Tokyo University and the Myanmar Engineers' Association.
The 40-house model village will comprise a storm shelter, a water distribution system using natural gravity, a solar-energy power supply system and cyclone-resistant apartments.
Additional references
For a complete listing of articles on the impact of Cyclone Nargis, see: ‘Impact of Cyclone Nargis on Myanmar’s electricity sector’.
See above: ‘PM calls for bio-batteries in every cyclone-hit household’ (NLM: 07/04/09

‘Indian solar lanterns to light up Myanmar huts’ (PTI: 07/02/09)

Cape Negrais Relief and Recovery Committee

http://www.spa-myanmar.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=13&Itemid=155

This report on a website maintained by Serge Pun & Associates (Myanmar) Ltd describes a project to rebuild the village of Auk Pyun in the Cape Negrais area of the Ayeyawaddy delta following its destruction by Cyclone Nargis in May 2008. Included in the project was the construction of 125 single family homes, installation of a solar system to power electric lights and water pumps, a village office, health clinic, market, jetty, primary school, and a storm shelter cum community centre. The solar power system was installed by United Engineers and won an award in the Off-Grid Category of the ASEAN Renewable Energy Projects Competition in 2010.

UN Relief Web, 02/05/09. http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/MYAI-7RP3GQ?OpenDocument

In a visit to the Ayeyarwardy delta today, and in observance of the one-year remembrance of Cyclone Nargis, a high-level delegation representing the Tripartite Core Group (TCG) visited . . . Kyunchaung in Kungyangon township, where the TCG brought contributions to provide electricity to the village.

NLM, 07/04/09. http://www.burmalibrary.org/docs6/NLM2009-04-07.pdf

A ceremony to open Myaingthaya village was held at the village in Kungyangon township. The cost of recconstructing the village that was totally destroyed by Cyclone Nargis was donated by Petronas Petroleum Co of Malaysia. Malaysian Ambassador Mazlan Bin Muhammad and Muhammad Zaini Muhammad Yunas, general manager of Petronas, cut a ribbon to open the ceremony and Abu Bakr, Myanmar manager of Petronas, handed over related documents to the chairman of the Kungyangon township council. Houses for 39 households were donated by Petronas. They were constructed by Asia World Co along with supply of electricity to every household in the village.

NLM, 06/04/09. http://www.burmalibrary.org/docs6/NLM2009-04-06.pdf

Prime Minister Thein Sein and party arrived by helicopter at Theikpan-gongyi village in Labutta township where they they met with departmental officials and local people and explained the use of bio-batteries in combination with cow dung and salt to produce electricity for lighting their homes. The PM urged the people to grow coconut, areca palm and vegetables on a commercial scale and to undertake a system of integrated farming. Professor Saw Simon Tha reported in the Myanmar and Kayin languages on efforts to be made for development of the village based on the assistance provided by the State and called on the villagers to join hands with the government without regionalism and racism. CPT Minister Thein Zaw explained how a telephone communication network would be set up to enable the villagers to make business and social calls. Then the PM and other visitors presented generators, fluorescent lamps, solar lanterns, blankets, agricultural implements, foodstuffs and vegetable seeds to the villagers. Afterwards the visitors inspected the construction of the CDMA-450 radio station project of Myanma Posts and Telecommunications, as well as the rural health center, the systematic construction of housing estates, the planting of trees around village homes on a manageable scale, the supply of water and the functions of the public telephone connection. [Compiler’s note: Photos of Theikpan-gongyi village (15° 57' N, 94° 36' E) near the mouth of the Ywe river and one of the villages hardest hit by Cyclone Nargis, accompany the article in the print edition of NLM. This is the first mention of the use of bio-batteries in Myanmar. See the articles on “solar lanterns” and “bio-batteries” noted above for further details.]

NLM, 30/12/08. http://www.burmalibrary.org/docs6/NLM2008-12-30.pdf

A photo of a solar-powered tube well in the village of Hlaingphone in Mawlamyaing-gyun township is included in the print edition of NLM. In the accompanying article Hlainphone is described as a model village reconstructed following Cyclone Nargis. A list of Myanmar companies involved in reconstruction activities is included, but it is not clear which one provided the equipment for the solar-powered pump. [Most of the villages in the area flooded by the cyclone depend on communal ponds for their water supply. Of these about 1,500 ponds – 13pc of those in Yangon Division and 43pc ercent of ponds in the delta of Ayeyawaddy divison were contaminated by sea water and debris. Although many have been cleaned since, it was not in time to be filled during the rainy season and water levels are dropping fast. As a result, thousands of survivors of the cyclone face water shortages, as the dry season begins to bite. (IRIN: 29/12/08)] http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=82129

NLM, 27/11/08. http://www.burmalibrary.org/docs6/NLM2008-11-27.pdf

Energy Minister Lun Thi on 23 November inspected progress in construction of houses in Htinponseik village in Kungyangon township which was hit by Cyclone Nargis. Funded by Petronas Co, Malaysia, the houses are under construction by Asia World Co Ltd. During the tour, the minister inspected the digging of drains and erection of lamp posts in the village. He also visited the thriving vegetation, sports grounds, clinic and library in the village. Petronas Co based in Malaysia has funded the project to reconstruct Htinponseik model village in Sukalat village-tract. The project includes 40ftx60ft houses, clinic, library, sports grounds and water and power supply facilities. The project also includes agriculture and livestock breeding to improve the living standards of the local people.

Moe Moe Yu, AFP, 28/07/08. http://www.mmtimes.com/no430/b007.html

Three months after a cyclone devastated Burma's southern Irrawaddy delta, a local firm is helping survivors replace their makeshift shelters in Auk Pyon Wa with eco-friendly modern homes. Cyclone Nargis swept away every home in the village near the mouth of the Irrawaddy, leaving the survivors with only driftwood and donated plastic sheets for shelter. The village lost 221 of its people when the storm hit, flattening it and surrounding it by water on all sides. Since then, the survivors -- 380 by official count -- have been living together in temporary shelters donated by monks. Now they finally face the prospect of having a home again as dozens of construction firms arrive in the region to take on government-subsidized projects. The Pun Hlaing Construction Group is building 125 wooden homes with solar lighting and solar-powered water pumps in Auk Pyon Wa in an effort to harness the elements to help -- rather than destroy -- residents' lives. "The government provides the timber, zinc for the roof and iron, while our group provides technicians and skilled labourers as a donation," Ohn Myint, the company's construction manager, told AFP. In return, the villagers help build their new homes. "It's like they are building their own house but combining our skills with their labour," Ohn Myint said. Ohn Myint hopes the homes will be ready in three months. "But we are facing delays in transporting material and getting the right labour," he said.

Xinhua, 13/06/08. http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-06/13/content_8362873.htm

Myanmar has sent an engineering delegation to neighboring Thailand to study resettled villages destroyed by the tsunami in 2004 as a reference to build more storm-resistant model village, the local-language Myanmar Times reported Friday. It will be another endeavor of Myanmar to seek technical know-how to build such model village in cooperation with international experts after the Japanese. The model village, to be constructed by the Myanmar Engineers' Association with technical guidance of the Asia Institute of Technology of Thailand. It will consist of water and electricity supply systems, roads, buildings, schools and hospitals, the report said.