Embankment collapses recur in Hleqmyar and Nyaungdone

AYEYARWADDY TIMES September 3 While repairs are underway for the Ngwun River embankment in Hleqmyar Township and the Nyaungdone embankment in Nyaungdone Township, Ayeyarwaddy Region, where the embankments have collapsed due to river erosion, further collapses have occurred in other sections of these embankments, according to reports. While the breach of the Ngwun River embankment is being repaired, a further collapse of approximately 200 feet of embankment soil occurred today, September 3, at the 200/0 furlong mark of the embankment, according to the Fire Services Department of Myanmar. It is also reported that a further collapse of embankment soil, approximately 350 feet in length, has occurred between the 11/5 and 11/6 mile marks of the Nyaungdone embankment. It is understood that after State Administration Council Chairman Min Aung Hlaing visited the repair site of the Nyaungdone embankment, the earthen embankments gradually subsided, leading to this major further collapse. At the newly collapsed section of the Ngwun River embankment, sandbags are being placed and bamboo stakes are being driven to prevent river water from entering. Due to the breach of the Ngwun River embankment, residents of Hleqmyar, Henzada, Ye Kyi, Ngathinechaung, Kyonpyaw, and Kyauk Kone townships are still displaced due to flooding, and they are concerned about further flooding due to this new embankment collapse, according to local residents. "My paddy fields of 4 acres have been destroyed by the flood. I don't know what to do yet. I came back to check on my house after the water receded a little. Only the floor of the house is above the water. It's not very comfortable to stay here yet," said a local resident of Hleqmyar. It is reported that the breach of the Ngwun River embankment and the Panta embankment in Hleqmyar Township, which began on July 31 and has continued for over a month, has caused flooding in six townships, affecting hundreds of thousands of people and damaging large areas of paddy fields. "The Ngwun River water, in its downstream path, is being blocked by the Pathein-Monywa road between Ngathinechaung and Yangon, causing floodwaters to flow into the Dase River as much as possible, and the waters in the flood plain are pooling in the low-lying areas. Before the second flood occurs, we need to calculate whether to focus on the breached embankment or rely solely on the Dase River for better downstream flow, or to improve the road for better water flow," was posted on the Psc Myanmar Off-Road social media page. Photo – MFS