As you’ve probably seen by now, almost all of Yangon was submerged underwater on Sunday, leading both citizens and government officials to reiterate the urgent need for improved sewage systems to prevent such floods from happening, especially on a large-scale basis.
And while Yangon Chief Minister Phyo Min Thein is allegedly planning on using close to MMK1 billion to improve the city’s waterways, a Yangon MP claims that most of the money would only be going towards improvements in the six downtown townships, Mizzima reports.
“I heard at the hluttaw that K1 billion would be used towards improving the waterways, and that money has been borrowed from the World Bank to build better sewage systems. However, the relevant departments have said that that money isn’t for the entire city, but that the improvements will only be made within the main six townships that make up downtown and some of the neighboring areas,” Tamwe MP Thein Myint told Mizzima.
The six main townships of downtown Yangon — which is also referred to as the Central Business District — are Latha, Botahtaung, Pazaundaung, Lanmadaw, Pabedan, and Kyauktada.
Thein Myint pointed out that the cycle of rain and flooding was a never-ending one that needed to be addressed swiftly and efficiently on a city-wide scale.
He said: “Rather than planning for just one neighborhood or one street, a master plan that will cover all of Yangon needs to be carefully drawn up in order to break this cycle. Otherwise, this cycle will continue and things will only be temporarily improved; although now, it’s just been getting worse.”
On Sunday, the water in front of the Tamwe Ocean Supercenter, along with several other parts of the city, was waist deep. Thein Myint noted that this was despite the fact that just a few months prior, they had actually cleared out the trash in the four main rivers that run through Tamwe. On social media, citizens also pointed out that people need to stop littering in the streets, as the garbage blocking the sewers plays a huge role in flooding.
