A 200-foot-long, 25-footwide and 10-foot-high section of the Ma Mya Dam in Myanaung Township, collapsed at around 9 pm on 9 October, prompting Ayeyawady Region Chief Minister U Aye Kyaw and officials to inspect the site the following morning, where the slope had subsided by about 25 feet from its original crest level to an elevation of 330 feet.
During the inspection, the chief minister examined the collapsed section of the dam and the ongoing emergency water-release operations. Arrangements were also being made to evacuate residents from flood-risk areas to higher ground, including residents of Sanywagyi Village-tract and Uyinkwin, Maywaygon and Ywathitgon villages, as well as Yenanchetphogon village in Ngabatkya Village-tract. Machinery was being deployed to carry out the necessary emergency measures.
The Ma Mya Dam was holding water at an elevation of 315 feet. To lower the water level by 10 feet to an elevation of 305 feet, machinery was being used to excavate a channel 15 feet long and seven feet deep to release water through the dam’s emergency spillway.
The released water flows through the Yaywah Creek and the Ma Mya Creek before entering the Ngawun River, a route expected to help prevent flooding in surrounding villages. Meanwhile, repair and foundation reinforcement work at the dam was being carried out intensively using machinery.
MNA/MKKS
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