Water

Water is one of the main problems that the coastal communities in the Gulf of Mottama Area have been facing until today. They relied on rainwater as their main source of fresh water for domestic consumption and for the animals. The shellow mud-water ponds in most of the coastal villages cannot be relied on during the dry season. Some ponds dried up, particularly in March and April, whereas others were reduced in the mouth of the water and comtaminated with small particles and a bed smell. The water quality is low and unclean.

Rainwater storage tanks are unaffordable for coastal communities and have a limited capacity to store rainwater throughout the year. The threat of riverbank erosion is a major concern when investing in the costly infrastructure in the area.

The strong management of freshwater sources is important for coastal communities in order to ensure water sustainability. With the technical assistance of the Gulf of Mottama Project, many of the coastal villages developed their own "Water Usage Master Plan". This plan will help the communities with sustainable management of water sources and improve their access to clean water.

Key Highlights

Access to water supplies during the dry season is one of the main challenges for many coastal villages in the Gulf of Mottama Area. The communities relied on rainwater for their domestic consumption. Digging the mud-water ponds is one possibility for storing the rainwater throughout the year. However, it has limitations to keep the water from escaping through evaporation, and most of it dried up, especially in March and April.

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Photo © Villagers are lined up for drinking water distribution at Zee Kone Village, Ahlat Village Track, Paung Township, Mon State