Nay Pyi Taw August 29
Chairman of the National Natural Disaster Management Committee Vice-President U Henry Van Thio and Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, accompanied by Union Minister Dr Aung Thu, Commander-in-Chief (Navy) Admiral Tin Aung San and Commander-in-Chief (Air) General Maung Maung Kyaw, senior military officers of the Office of the Commander-in-Chief, and officials of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation, inspected by helicopter flooding in Bago’s Yedashe Township caused by the burst in the spillway of Swa Creek Dam.
The Vice-President, the Senior General and party inspected buckling of the two middle piles of the bridge across Swa Bridge at mile post 165.1 and landslide on the Yangon-Mandalay expressway caused by the flooding. In response to the report by Deputy Minister for Construction U Kyaw Lin and officials, the Vice-President and the Senior General instructed to put sand bags on the approach road and traffic island to enable travelers to safely cross the bridge.
They then inspected the damage to the main spillway of the Swa Creek Dam. At the briefing hall of the Swa Creek Dam, deputy director general U Bo Bo Kyaw of the Water Utilization Department of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation explained water storage capacity of the dam and magnitude of damages to its main spillway. The Vice-President and the Senior General left necessary instructions.
The Vice-President, the Senior General and party, together with Union ministers U Thant Zin Maung and Dr Win Myat Aye and Deputy Minister U Soe Aung, then inspected flooding of the old Yangon-Mandalay motor road near mile post No. 196 and preparations made by Tatmadawmen, firefighters, departmental personnel and locals to help flood victims in local battalion in Swa Township. They also arranged for transportation of rail passengers with Tatmadaw helicopters to pass the flooded railroad between Yedashe and Swa.
At the office of the Yedashe Township General Administration Department, Taungoo district administrator U Moe Htet explained flooding of villages in Yedashe Township, and cooperation with the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement, regional government, Tatmadaw and civil society organizations in undertaking rescue and relief works and follow-up plans.
With regard to the reports, the Vice-President and the Senior General coordinated the matters relating to the needs for the clearance of blocked drainage channels for swift receding of water, the distribution of fiber and rubber boats supplied by the National Natural Disaster Management Committee and the Tatmadaw for the smooth operations of rescue, the search and rescue operations for all flood-hit villages and the necessary preparations for accommodations, the supply of foods and health care for flood victims.
Afterwards, they visited the part of flood-hit Yangon-Mandalay highway and left necessary instructions for the safety of people.
Due to the 360-ft-long crack, the diversion weir of Swa Creek Dam collapsed at around 5.45 am today. Foods hit 17 village-tracts and 85 villages including Swa Township, forcing 63,421 people from 14,357 households to leave. There were floods between Mile-post Nos. 161 and 166 on Yangon-Mandalay Highway, between Milepost Nos. 169 and 204 on the old Yangon-Mandalay Highway between Yedashe and Thargaya townships, at a height of about one to four feet. Two piles of Swa Creek Bridge on Yangon-Mandalay Highway were lowered by flooding. The region government is evacuating flood victims, in cooperation with the Tatmadaw and social organizations.
Swa Creek Dam has a total water flowing area of 403 square miles. The dam receives an inflow of about 312,040 acre feet every year, and its full water storage capacity is 216,350 acre feet. The dam can hold 337 feet in height. The dam’s spillway has lowered, the water level of dam has reached up to 338.6 feet due to heavy rains this year.
