13 July
Vice President U Henry Van Thio took a tour of the Moebyae Dam in Kayah State yesterday as part of his trip to promote tourism in the state as the dam is playing an important part in providing boat transport services between the state capital Loikaw and the Inle lake in southern Shan State to foreign and local tourists.
The Vice President, accompanied by Deputy Ministers Rear-Admiral Myint Nwe, Maj-Gen Than Htut and U Tin Myint, arrived at the Moebyae Dam in Pekhon, Kayah State, yesterday.
Before inspecting the dam, Vice President U Henry Van Thio, in his capacity as the chairman of the National Tourism Development Central Committee, held a meeting with local authorities.
At the meeting, U Soe Naing, Director of the Hydro power Implementation Department, reported on facts and undertakings for development of tourism based on the Moebyae Dam and Kayah State Chief Minister U L Phaung Sho on land allocation for building a shelter for travellers, measures to be taken for proper flow of water in the Bilu Creek and upgrading the road linking Loikaw and Moebyae Dam.
After hearing the report, Vice President U Henry Van Thio urged the officials to overview the dam from all sides and to systematically supervise the sluice gates as the dam was serving as a transportation pathway from Loikaw to Inle Lake in Shan State for local and foreign travellers.
The number of tourists coming to Myanmar was expected to rise as Bagan has been listed a World Heritage Site, he said.
He also urged the authorities to raise awareness about water management among the people so that they could effectively use the water as the inflow of water into the dam was expected to be lower due to the short monsoon period this year.
He also stressed the need to monitor the strength of dams as the raining pattern was changing due to the climate change.
Following the meeting, the Vice President observed the sluice gate where a jetty was built and the inflow of water into the dam. The Moebyae Dam stores the water from the Bilu Creek and operates three Lawpita stations of the Hydro Power Plant while supplying irrigation water to the local people.
Besides, boat transport service through the sluice gates was promoting the development of tourism in Kayah State.
Afterwards, Vice President U Henry Van Thio visited the Htisekha Waterfall in Loilemlay and inspected arrangements for recreation for the people at the fall which attracts over 1000 visitors per day in the open season.
The Vice President and his entourage also visited Ranku Village in Panpat Villate-tract in Dimawhso Township where they were welcomed by local Kayan ethnic people with their traditional dances.
The economy of the Panpat Village-tract has changed from traditional businesses to community-based tourism since 2016 offering their traditional culture to create job opportunities for the locals.
Salon, Ywanku, Kateku, Pinmasaung and Dawki villagers in the village-tract have attracted local and foreign visitors and the number has reached over 10,000 every year. Wyanku, Kateku, Saunglukanar, Pinmasaung, Donke and Thanku villages in Pinpat Village-tract have got access to electricity since 2016-2017 fiscal year, and the cultural shops, Pawku, Prikeku, Linsaungsay 1 and 2 of the same village tract got access to electricity in 2018-2019 fiscal year.
Besides, the Ministry of Border Affairs upgraded roads in the village tract to gravel roads and tarred roads in 2016-2017 fiscal year and constructed conduit pipes. The water supply facility constructed in the 2017-2018 fiscal year has supplied over 30,000 gallons of water per day to villagers in the Panpat Village-tract since 2017-2018 fiscal year.
Vice President U Henry Van Thio and entourage also visited the Ngwetaung Dam where Deputy Director U Wai Lwin of the Irrigation and Water Utilization and Management Department reported on supply of water to the people. Afterwards, they toured along the Bilu Creek by boat inspecting the tourism development works. —MNA
(Translated by Tun Tun Naing)
