SAC Chairman Prime Minister Senior General Min Aung Hlaing inspects repair of roads and bridges damaged in heavy rains, flooding in Nay Pyi Taw Council Area
NAY PYI TAW September 15
Chairman of the State Administration Council Prime Minister Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, accompanied by Council Joint Secretary General Ye Win Oo, Union ministers U Min Naung and U Myo Thant, Nay Pyi Taw Council Chairman U Than Tun Oo, senior military officers from the Office of the Commander-in-Chief, the commander of Nay Pyi Taw Command and officials, this morning inspected on-going repairs of roads and bridges damaged in heavy rains and flooding occurrences in Nay Pyi Taw Council Area.
Construction of a temporary bailey bridge for damaged Nawin Creek Bridge (Ahson)
The Senior General and party left Zeyathiri Township along Yangon-Mandalay highway by car and inspected damaged parts of the highway eroded by Hsinthay Creek and waiting of cargo trucks and buses for their turn to drive. On arrival at Nawin Creek Bridge (Ahson), the Senior General and party inspected construction of a temporary bailey bridge. The Union Minister for Construction reported on construction of the bridge day and night for convenience of public transport.
In his response, the Senior General stressed the need to carry out repair works on the damaged parts of roads and bridges in flooding for smooth transport for the people not to interrupt transport. Taking lessons from the damage of bridges in flooding based on heavy rains, it is necessary to consider in building bridges with the resilience of momentum of flow of water.
Moreover, the Senior General added that it needs to straighten inlet and outlet channels of waterways at the bridges. The Senior General inspected inflow of water and construction of the bailey bridge.
Instead of Nawin Creek Bridge (Ahson), a three-layer bailey bridge 100 feet long with a 24-foot motorway which can withstand 40 tons of load is under construction. It is reported that the road can be used as usual on 16 September.
Damage of Kintha Embankment in heavy inflow of water
The Senior General and party proceeded to Kintha Embankment, near 3rd-mile village in Kintha Village-tract via Kintha junction. Union Minister for Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation U Min Naung and officials reported on flow of torrential rains along Kintha Creek, flowing out of water from three-foot higher than the embankment, and inflow of logs, silt and sand in the dam to cause sandbanks.
The Senior General inspected occurrence of sandbanks, breakdown of the embankment in strong flow of torrential rains, and blockage of logs in the embankment. In his guidance, the Senior General said as a large timber extraction upstream of the creek can cause less capability to control outflow of water. So, heavy rains caused high momentum flow of water in the creek. As cut logs and trees were stockpiled along the banks of creek, large logs which floated in the water struck the waterway, causing breakdown of the embankment. Hence, it is necessary to clear the waterway and remove silt and sand from the embankment step by step. Initially, debris must be cleared and the embankment must be improved. From then on, the damaged parts of the embankment must be repaired.
Kintha Embankment was built in 1994-1995, and it is an earthen facility. It can store 72 acre-feet of water. A large volume of water affected by heavy rainfalls of storm Yagi flowed into the dam and water flows over the embankment more than three feet high. Water eroded the conduit of the embankment.
Torrential rain was 12 times more than the storage capacity of the dam. Torrential rain brought sand and silt into the dam. So, the dam lost capacity of storage of water and its earthen embankment was damaged. Moreover, logs from Kintha raft jetty flowed along the waterway and hit the embankment with momentum to cause damage.
The Senior General cordially greeted residents from 3rd-mile village and asked them about overflow of water.
The Senior General inspected damaged parts of the highway at Kintha junction eroded by flooding and gave guidance on clearing debris and carrying out repair works as quickly as possible.
Progress of building a temporary bailey bridge for Thaikchaung Bridge crossing Hsinthay Creek
The Senior General and party inspected progress in building a temporary bailey bridge crossing Hsinthay Creek for Thaikchaung Bridge on Pobbathiri circular road linking Zeyathiri and Pobbathiri township in Nay Pyi Taw Council Area and gave necessary guidance to officials.
The Senior General and party rolled on the bailey bridge and viewed round clearing debris in flooding.