Repair operations to seal a breached sand layer along the Ngawun River embankment near the oxbow lake in Laymyethna Township, Ayeyawady Region, are expected to be completed within 10 days, according to U Win Htay, Director of the Ayeyawady Region Irrigation and Water Utilization Management Department.
Teams of technical experts, departmental officials, and labourers are working around the clock in rotating shifts with machinery and watercraft to carry out the temporary closure of the breach during the current rainy season. Permanent reinforcement work will be undertaken during the upcoming dry season. With task forces fully mobilized and heavy machinery deployed, the temporary repair operation is currently about 25 per cent complete.
“To protect the existing embankment from erosion, we are carrying out toe-protection work by placing geotextile bags (geobags) and installing rows of bamboo and wooden piles filled with sandbags,” U Win Htay said.
He added that, at the 120-foot water inlet along the old embankment, pile rows are being installed on both sides and filled with sandbags to reduce the flow velocity. Surveys are also being conducted and materials stockpiled to reinforce the outer embankment, while preparations are underway to place geotextile bags and rock-filled gabion mattresses to block the deep-water current.
Flooding in Laymyethna Township has affected more than 30,000 residents in 62 villages. Authorities have opened 13 relief camps to provide emergency assistance and carry out rescue operations for affected communities.
ASH/TH
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