Governments in successive eras have been building small and large dams, reservoirs and diversion weirs in necessary areas across the nation. As such, hundreds of small and large dams are mushrooming in the entire country, especially in dry regions.
Spending a large sum of money, these governments built irrigation facilities, but they were weak in the maintenance of the already-built dams. Due to weakness in the maintenance of irrigation facilities, various crops and paddy plantations grown in dry zones could not have deserved per-acre yields.
Depending on financial, technical and regional situations, some kinds of dams were built of earthen works. These facilities need proper maintenance on time for long term existence. In current situations, some irrigation facilities face silting with a lack of capability to irrigate farmlands. The number of dams that can irrigate croplands and farmlands at full capacity is on the decrease year by year.
In fact, the Irrigation and Water Utilization Management Department has adopted the main functions of irrigation and water utilization to carry out the construction of new projects, including hydroelectricity generating with multipurpose dam projects after studying feasibility, and to perform operation and maintenance of the existing irrigation facilities and irrigation networks for effective and efficient utilization of agricultural water.
Actually, irrigation facilities should be under maintenance for storing natural water and rainwater at all time to be able to supply water to farmlands. Engineers and staff need to strive for enhancing the storage capacity of water at irrigation facilities day and night.
Monsoon will come to Myanmar within one month. Before the rainy season, it is necessary to maintain irrigation facilities setting aside plans to generate electricity to properly supply agricultural water as expected by farmers to the farmlands.
Farmers from dry regions of Myanmar cannot rely on the monsoon, but they expect a supply of irrigated water to their farmlands. As they try hard to overcome hardships in climatic conditions while operating farming works, they deserve to possess high per-acre yield of their crops thanks to the supply of irrigated water.
That is why energetic efforts should be made to improve various kinds of irrigation facilities that will be reliable for farmers from dry zones of the country.
That is why energetic efforts should be made to improve various kinds of irrigation facilities that will be reliable for farmers from dry zones of the country.
