19 January

UNION MINISTER for Transport and Communications U Thant Sin Maung went to Magway Region Yesagyo Township Balaba emergency river bank erosion prevention office in the second week of January where Directorate of Water Resources and Improvement of River Systems Deputy Director General U Win Naing and Region Head explained about river bank erosion prevention works in Magway Region Yesagyo Township Balaba Village and Dhamma Yanthi Pagoda, dredging, construction of diversion weir and river bank erosion prevention works conducted with Region and World Bank funds.

Next the Union Minister inspected the river bank erosion prevention and river bank maintenance works conducted in fiscal year 2016-2017 and fiscal year 2017-2018 in Pakokku Township Kyunnyogyi Village. On 13 January the Union Minister left Salay Town by boat and officials explained about waterway improvement and river bank erosion preventive works conducted yearly that were improvement of Salay-Pha Kan Nge waterway and river bank erosion preventive work; improvement of Htinmalun Village waterway in Salay Town and river bank erosion preventive work; Pwintbyu Township Than Kaing Village river bank erosion preventive work and Minbu (Saku) Township Nabe Ban Village river bank erosion preventive work and Magway Region minister U Tin Nwe Oo provided additional explanations.

Union Minister U Thant Sin Maung responded to the explanations and said that as the waterways in the Region had many incidences of bank erosions and direct preventive works against river bank erosion is very costly, annual waterway maintenance and construction of weirs must be conducted based on waterways development master plan to ensure that the waterways are of the required width and then inspected the year wise construction works and dredging works to improve waterways and prevent river bank erosion. — Maung Min Naing (Translated by Zaw Min)