Kyauktaw, Arakan State: The Military Operation Command (MOC) 9 in Kyauktaw have told the higher authorities of the military junta about their apprehension of damage to villages near the dam of Zee Chang come monsoon, according to a MOC 9 report.
The Zee Chang dam was opened for the second time in Kyauktaw. It will destroy villages in the rainy season due to flooding in the area the MOC reported to higher authorities, said an officer from MOC.
The dam water will spill over and the lower part of the dam will destroy the villages located in the area, the report said.
After MOC 9, sent the report the chief engineer, who supervised the building of the dam checked the situation in the dam area and refuted the report of the MOC 9 about flooding from March 1, said the officer from MOC.
The construction of the dam was started in the period 2006-2007 with force labor of near by villages, where everyday, 100 to 150 villagers have to go to the site for construction of the Zee Chaung Dam. The villagers have to work from 6 pm to noon. The army does not provide any wages, but give two kilograms of rice a day to every worker. Most of the laborers are Rohingya Muslims even though there are many Rakhine villages close to the dam site. The dam is near the Maha Mrat Muni Buddha statuette, according to the local sources.
The whole western office will be supplied with electricity from the Zee Chaung Dam by producing hydro-electricity, according to official sources.
But, the villagers near the dam are going to move to safer places where they can be safe, said local from the Kyauktaw.
The villages are - Thayagone with 600 families and Thetthapin with 300 families. They are situated in the upper reaches of the dam. Maungpyataung with 800 families, Tharaktapin with 1000 families and Shwepalee with 300 families are situated in the lower reaches of the dam.
“The authorities are looking only for profit; they don’t care about the people. If the dam waters spill over in the monsoon who will take care of the people living near the dam,” asked a school teacher in Kyauktaw.
“The report of the MOC 9 and the chief engineer’s report should be compared to find out which is correct,” he added.
