Perspectives on water insecurity challenges of local communities in Myanmar in the midst of COVID-19

In Myanmar, the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the daily lives of local communities.

Access to clean water is becoming more difficult especially in some regions where water insecurity has existed even before the pandemic.

Access to clean water in Myanmar is becoming more difficult especially in some regions where water insecurity has existed even before the pandemic.

Central government agencies in Myanmar are unable to provide water to a large proportion of the urban and rural population.

According to the “Myanmar Urban Development and Water Sector Assessment, Strategy and Roadmap”, published by Asia Development Bank (ADB) in 2013, the percentage of people using improved drinking water sources is 83% overall (urban 93%, rural 78%).

However, even with this level of coverage, whether the the quality of water is good is an open question? The piped water supply systems in the main cities in Myanmar use untreated surface water from reservoirs. As a result, most people in urban areas use untreated private water supplies for drinking and cooking increasing their risks of getting water-borne illness.

In many areas of Myanmar, COVID-19 has exacerbated existing problems with water scarcity or lack of access to potable water.

This piece reflects on research undertaken by SUMERNET researchers in three regions of Myanmar: Pindaya township, located in the northern mountainous region of Shan state, Bogalay township, in the southern delta region and Seikkyi Kanaungto township, a peri-urban area of Yangon city. 

Read more here: The perspectives of local marginalized groups upon water in the midst of COVID-19 in Myanmar - Myanmar Water Portal

This story was written by Kyaw Nyunt Linn. as the part of SUMERNET media-research partnership grants and was published on Myanmar Water Portal and the Change Magazine.

SUMERNET provided eight grants worth up to US$2,800 to 8 journalists in the Mekong Region (Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Myanmar) for partnership with SUMERNET and affiliated researchers to produce multimedia products on environmental topics in the Mekong Region.

During the partnership (from June 2021- June 2022), young journalists and multimedia producers have delivered different stories, blogs, documentaries on the environmental issues in collaboration with SUMERNET affiliated researchers from the different countries in the Mekong region. Media-research partnership grantees also organized a series of different trainings and sharing sessions for the media capacity development of the researchers.