4th General Assembly: Myanmar Nat’l Committee on Large Dams organized

The fourth General Assembly of the Myanmar National Committee on Large Dams was held Monday morning in Yangon.

Union Minister for Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation U Tin Htut Oo, Deputy Minister for Electric Power Dr Aung Zeya and members of the National Committee on Myanmar Large Dams, executive committee members attended the ceremony.

At the ceremony, Union Minister U Tin Htut Oo, a member of the Panel of Patrons of the National Committee on Large Dams, said that Myanmar has more freshwater resources than any other countries in the world.

Over 870 million acre-feet of freshwater flows in the country annually. Although there are many freshwater resources, there is less irrigated area compared to neighboring countries and there is still a great need to identify and use existing water resources for irrigation.

It is also necessary for the Committee to identify plans for the benefit of future generations by studying the construction and use of dams in the region.

The Union Minister also called for increased cooperation with the international community, including the International Commission on Large Dams ICOLD, on the expansion of research on climate change, the impact of unforeseen natural disasters on dams, and the transfer of technology to the next generation of professionals.

Afterwards, the Chairman of the Myanmar National Committee on Large Dams gave a speech. The Secretary of the Committee read the report of the Executive Committee and sought the approval of the Assembly.

The Myanmar National Committee on Large Dams (MNCOLD) was established in Myanmar to discuss issues related to the safety, stability, and impact of the dams which are already built, under construction, and to be built in Myanmar on the natural, economic and social environment, and a wide range of scientific and technological and investment issues.