17 February

The Department of Meteorology and Hydrology is installing staff gauges at hydrological stations along the Ayeyawady River in 71 townships across the country to measure water depths.

The gauges are part of the Ayeyawady Integrated River Basin Management (AIRBM) project being carried out in many parts of the country, with the support of the World Bank.

A staff gauge is a measuring tool used to provide a visual indication of the depth of water in lakes, rivers and other surface waters. They are simple to install and readable from long distances.

U Tin Tun, head of Hydrological Station (Yangon), said the project was first begun in lower Myanmar, especially in Ayeyawady Region, including Pathein, Myaungmya, Maubin, Thabaung, Zalun and Hinthada townships. The staff gauges will also be placed in Pyu and Taungoo townships in Bago Region, Hpa-an and Myawady townships in Kayin State, Mandalay and Myitnge townships in Mandalay Region, Sagaing, Myinmu and Kani townships in Sagaing Region, Mon State, and Machanbaw Township in Kachin State.

As of 11 February, the department has installed staff gauges at hydrological stations in Mandalay. Thanks to these measuring tools, people are able to easily understand the measurements of water depths, he said. In Mandalay, the department has installed some nine staff gauges, and plans to also install more than nine gauges in Khamti.—Khine Hsat Wai  (Translated by Khaing Thanda Lwin)