Thaphanseik Dam receives water inflows five times higher than last year’s record, said the director of the Sagaing Region Irrigation and Water Utilization Management Department.
“Water flowed into the dam starting from January during the early pre-monsoon period. The dam received water of approximately 70,000 acre-feet between January and May last year. This year, it holds over 360,000 acre-feet in the past five months. The meteorologists predicted heavy rainfall this year. Thaphanseik Dam can provide adequate irrigation to 490,000 acres. Shwebo Pawsan cultivation is likely to be successful in the coming season, said the director.
In 2019, the Thaphanseik Dam could not provide irrigation water to summer paddy and other crops. In 2020, it irrigated 4,074 acres of summer paddy and 37,000 acres of other crops.
“The dam held 3.1 million acre-feet in 2021. The water inflow is the highest in the mid and late monsoon season (July-September). About 2.4 million acre-feet are left after monsoon paddy irrigation. It contributed to irrigation water resources for the fields nearby starting from 7 February. The crops are harvested now,” the director elaborated.
Thaphanseik Dam mainly retains water and releases water into the riverbed of Mu. Then, the irrigation is distributed through the Kintat diversion weir to 170,000 sowing acres. The Karbo Dam provides water to 320,000 acres of other crops and 500,000 acres of paddy in Shwebo, Kanbalu, Sagaing and Monywa districts in the Sagaing Region through Shwebo and YeU main canals. — Lu Lay/GNLM
