Free homes will be built in some Sittwe Township villages for poor people affected by natural disasters, according to the Department of Rural Development (DRD).

The housing will be built in Zawmadat and Myitnar villages in Sittwe Township. A DRD official said villagers affected by natural disasters and the poor will be given priority to live in these homes, which will be provided free of charge to the beneficiaries.

“The land where the rural homes will be built must be provided by the village,” said U Saw Wai, deputy director of the Arakan State DRD. “The land is the common property of the villagers, or is land where there is no ownership dispute. Currently, the village administrators have been asked to get the land.”

He added that poor people can apply to live in these homes and that only those who meet certain criteria will be selected.

DRD will initially build 10 homes in Zawmadat Village, each measuring 24 feet in length, 18 feet wide and 9 feet tall, and 20 homes in Myitnar Village, spending a total of K750 million.

“We have planned to develop rural housing in the financial year 2023-2024.  There are many people who cannot build their own home. We want to build a lot of rural homes, but we can’t build them because we don’t have enough budget,” U Saw Wai said.

DRD officials recently made a field trip to Myitnar Village to inspect the land plots chosen for construction of the homes.

“DRD will build rural homes, so the locals are happy. In the past few years, DRD has built five wooden homes. DRD was supposed to be given land to build rural homes, but no money was paid. We want other poor villages like ours to get rural homes,” said U Maung Maung, the administrator of Myitnar Village.

DRD reportedly built several rural homes in Maungdaw, Buthidaung, Ramree and Thandwe townships in Arakan State last year.