 The
Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation has (14) institutions
under its jurisdiction and the Irrigation Department, as having
the largest staff force, constitutes an important department.
Among the State's (4) economic objectives, the first in order
is "The development of agriculture as the base and all-round
development of other sectors of the economy as well" .The
Irrigation Department has according been actively engaged in
developing the agricultural sector.
The role of irrigation can be reckoned as activities constituting the
systematic supply of water to cropping areas for agricultural development,
as and when necessary and draining out the surplus water or protecting
flood water from the cropping areas as well. On a broader universal basis,
irrigation remains as a major element in contributing towards food self-sufficiency,
for an ever increasing population as well as the greening of the environment.
Myanmar is an agricultural country. It abounds in an abundance of water
resources. The Irrigation Department in harnessing such resources, not
only concentrates in providing efficient increased irrigation for the
development of the agriculture sector, but also embraces objectives pertaining
to adequacy of drinking water, protection of the environment and generation
of hydro-electricity.
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Objective
of Irrigation Department
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 Myanmar's
population, currently at (52) million is stated to reach
(60) million by AD 2010, and (80) million by AD 2025. There
will be an increasing need to meet the rising demands for
food and the additional requirements will have to be accomodated
through crop extensions and land development. The provision
of irrigation water, flood protection etc, will consequently
remain critical, and the Irrigation Department will be responsible
to respond to the needs appropriately.
Myanmar
is a country endowed with an abundance of land and water
resources. In order to tap its pontential, additional irrigation
facilities will have to be provided. It will have to be met
with the construction of new reservoirs, weirs and furnishing
of flood protection. Additionally, drainge canals and sluice
gates will constitute an essential requisite in developing
inundated areas. It will be incumbent on the Irrigation Department
to implement the mandates with resolution and zeal and thereby
render strong support to the Governments committed priority
to agriculture. |
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| Dam
Construction History |
 Before the year
1988, the small scale irrigation projects with dam height
under 100 feet and some of large scale multi-purpose dams
with dam height over 100 feet were implemented under the
technical supervision of foreign consultants.
After 1988, all the process of investigation, design, planning
and implementation were exclusively done by Myanmar
engineers.The heights of implemented
dams are in the range of 110 feet to 220 feet. The dam with
longest length of 22587 feet and largest capacity of 28,80000
acre-feet ever constructed is Thaphanseik Multipurpose Dam
Project with hydropower capacity of 30 MW, located in upper
Myanmar. |
Construction
of Diaphragm Wall and Tunnel |
 Diaphragm
walls
Most of the rivulets in the western part of Ayeyarwady River are
composed of gravel foundation with high permeability and much seepage.
The technology of dam construction over the gravel foundation was
not introduced yet upto 1995.
After 1995, Irrigation
Department started Implementation of Mone Multi- purpose Dam Project in Minbu District, western part of Ayeyarwady. Gravel
foundation of Mone Dam was treated by providing plastic concrete
diaphragm ( PCD ) wall, using Tri-axial Mixing Wall ( TMW
) Machine from Japan. That technology was applied at most
of the dam projects t the western bank of Ayeyarwady wherever
necessary. It is also intended to construct underground dams
in some river basins. |
Tunnels
Irrigation Department Engneers have
the experience of construction of upto 11.4 meter imeter
of dversion tunnel and 5.0 meter dimeter of Penstock. A
surge tnk f diameter 27 meter is under construction at
Mone Multi-purpose Dam project. |
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| Citation
for Irrigation Department |
 Irrigation Department
has acclerated Construction of dams and other irrigation
facilities at feasible places since 1988. About 132 numbers
of irrigation facilities have been successfully established
from the fiscal years of 1988-89 to 2001-02 with the addition
of 0.8 million hectare of productive irrigated land. Prior
to 1988, there was 0.5 million hectare of productive area
gained from developed irrigation schemes.
To address sustainable food production and to prevent water scarcity,
numerous multipurpose water resources projects have to be implemented
in future. There are altogether 42 numbers of on-going irrigation
projectes throughout the country. When all these projects
are completed, their beneficial area will become nearly 0.4
million hectare and corresponding project cost will be over
7000 million kyats.
Considering the above mentioned achievement which are very beneficial
to the country and also realizing the efforts of the Irrigation
Department's Engineers to design, formulate, construct and maintain
of these dams and appurtenant structures indigenously, the ASEAN
Federation of Engineering Organization selected the Irrigation
Department, Myanmar as the year's ASEAN Oustanding Engineering
Award on 2-4 September 2002 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. |
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