The Nyaunghnapin Agriculture and Livestock Zone in Yangon Region supplies the needed vegetables, meat and fish for the region and is running intending to export the surplus products. Meanwhile, the Kalihtaw Dam makes dam water distribution to the zone, according to the Irrigation and Water Utilization Department.
The Director’s Office of Irrigation and Water Utilization Department is working on the agriculture, drinking water and flood preventive measures in the region and also focusing on the access to water in Hlegu township and Nyaunghnapin agriculture and livestock zone Hmawbi township.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation constructed the Kalihtaw Dam to supply water to the zone in 2001-2002. The water is also supplied to the zone from Ngamoeyeik Dam in addition to the Kalihtaw Dam just about five miles from the zone.
“There are three zones in Nyaunghnapin agriculture and livestock zone. We are carrying out the measures such as the construction of new dams and maintenance works on the buildings yearly to supply irrigation water to over 9,000 acres. According to the soil type of the zone, the people have to pump the water from the well or artesian well via M canals when the underground water level is up or they can have access to water through a direct water pumping system from the water canal,” said U Nyan Soe, assistant director of the department.
The Kalihtaw Dam has 76 square miles of catchment areas with a water storage capacity of 26,000acre feet. The main canal is 5.4 miles in length and the branch canal is 194 miles in length. The dam sees high water flows yearly and distributes enough water to about 9,838 acres of farmlands in the Nyaunghnapin agriculture and livestock zone. — Nyein Thu (MNA)/KTZH
