Mya Than, assistant director and chief of Sagaing district at Myanmar’s Irrigation and Water Utilisation Management Division (IWUMD), said the PywatYwar irrigation project near Myinmu should become a role model for all irrigation projects in the country’s dry zone. He said it would help change the lives of locals by improving water management and helping them grow suitable crops.
“We should apply this model to the other 300 irrigation projects in the dry zone. Now many villagers in this area know how to use water more efficiently and there will no longer be disputes over the allocation of water in the near future,” he said.
The project encourages active participation by farmers and gets them to work with government officials in managing water allocation and enhancing the performance of the scheme.
This project will be overseen by three committees, which – combined with government officials and key stakeholders – will form the Water User Association, he explained.