Water Inflow Blocked and Controlled: Water inflow through lowered Nga Wun embank controlled

In Ayeyawady Region, Hinthada District, water had broken through the sand layer beneath the Nga Wun Embankment in Laymyethna Township. As the embankment was lowered by the force of the flowing water, water overflowed into the area. Measures to block and control the water inflow channel have been underway since 4 August, and the water inflow has now been successfully brought under control.

Ayeyawady Region Chief Minister U Aye Kyaw, accompanied by the Deputy Minister for Construction and officials, inspected the site on August 8.

First, the Region Chief Minister and the Deputy Minister for Construction inspected ongoing emergency works carried out jointly by Tatmadaw members, departmental personnel and local residents. These included placing sandbags to provide additional support from the back side and strengthen the stability of the steel sheet piles; driving steel sheet piles into the ground using cranes, silent pile drivers and electric vibratory hammers operated by the Shwe Sin Kyal and Shwe Nan Taw construction vehicles of the Ministry of Construction; and continuing to place jumbo-bag sandbags behind and in front of the steel sheet pile barrier to withstand external water pressure caused by differences in ground levels on the two sides of the barrier.

They also inspected the placement of sandbags as reinforcement, dredging sand with the Ayeyamaung ဧရာမောင် large dredging vessel and pumping the dredged sand toward the area near the water inflow channel at the embankment, as well as the installation of additional steel support posts to reinforce the sheet piles. The Chief Minister coordinated and provided necessary guidance on the ongoing works.

Lunch boxes and Mytel SIM cards were also donated to Tatmadaw members, General Administration Department staff, firefighters and local residents participating in the efforts to control the water inflow caused by the subsidence of the Nga Wun Embankment.

Afterwards, the Chief Minister visited Ward No. 5 of Laymyethna and inspected the receding water levels. He also encouraged local residents who had returned to their homes following the decline in floodwaters.

The Nga Wun Embankment extends for approximately 20 miles, from embankment mile 19 furlong 1 to mile 39, within Laymyethna Township. It protects five urban wards and 21 village-tracts. Water began overflowing into the area at approximately mile 25 furlongs 3 of the embankment.

Immediately after the incident occurred, emergency rescue and response teams were formed under the leadership of the Ayeyawady Region Chief Minister. At the Southwestern Command headquarters, Tatmadaw members, Myanmar Police Force personnel, General Administration Department staff, firefighters and social welfare organizations from various areas worked together to carry out emergency rescue operations. As residents were evacuated in time to temporary flood-relief camps, there were no casualties among people or animals.

Emergency embankment protection and water inflow control works were also carried out under the guidance of the Union Ministers of the relevant ministries, including the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation, and the Ministry of Construction. Deputy Ministers and directors-general closely supervised the operations, while engineers, experts and skilled workers worked around the clock with accelerated efforts. As a result of these concerted efforts, the water inflow channel was successfully brought under control on August 8.