Water shortages in upper Myanmar
Kyar Kone Te Tike is a small town in Magwe division in central Myanmar, about 19 miles away from the Magwe Natmauk Road. Daw Mar Oo has lived here all of her life.
Come summertime, finding drinking water is always a struggle.
There are three small hand-dug wells for drinking water, and they are a mile away from Daw Mar Oo’s house. They often dry up towards the end of the hot season.
Artesian wells donated to the village by actor Khin Hlaing currently produce 1,200 gallons per day. They initially produced 1,800 gallons, before one of the pumps broke. So the whole village has to rely on donations for its water supply.
“In summer we can’t use the hand-dug wells, so we have to rely on artesian wells. Now the pump broke we have to find water elsewhere. We know it’s important to wash our hands to prevent COVID-19, but we have no water to wash with,” said the 35-year-old Daw Mar Oo.
AUNG PHAY KYI SOE
