Construction work on the Khami Kyein Chaung reservoir, located about 11 miles from Ponnagyun town in Arakan State, began in 2014-15, but it has yet to supply water despite the project breaking ground more than six years ago.
The reservoir has a reported capacity of more than 2.7 billion gallons, and was built with state funds as part of the Ponnagyun industrial zone.
“The reservoir was built by the No. 9 construction team from Yangon, and it has not yet been handed over to the state,” an official from the Arakan State branch of the Department of Irrigation and Water Utilization Management told DMG. “But there is a plan to transfer it. This dam water will be supplied to the Ponnagyun industrial zone, but the industrial zone project has not yet started.”
When DMG asked the department about the cost of the project and when water might flow, it responded that it did not know.
“The construction work on the reservoir was completed, but nothing has been run so far,” said U Kyaw Hla Maung, a resident of Ponnagyun town.
“Villages near the reservoir have not been supplied water. None of the pipelines have been installed yet. The government is suffering because it was built with state funds and has not done anything yet. The people are also affected,” he said.
There are 11 villages near the reservoir and local residents have been told that they will receive water for drinking and agricultural purposes if the reservoir supplies water as planned.
The reservoir is located about 9 miles from the Ponnagyun industrial zone, near Khami Kyein Chaung village. Residents from Ponnagyun town want to supply water for them by installing pipelines.
The Arakan State military council has said that it is prioritising the Ponnagyun industrial zone project. Efforts to develop the Ponnagyun industrial zone were unsuccessful under the previous two administrations, according to U Hla Thein, a spokesman for Arakan State’s military government.
“The main intention is to create job opportunities for the people and regional development after building factories in the area,” he said of the renewed focus on the industrial zone, speaking to reporters at a news conference in October.
