Govt Issues Alert About Hazardous Rising Water Levels
By The Irrawaddy 25 February 2016
RANGOON — The Department of Meteorology and Hydrology issued a weather alert in state media on Thursday about potentially dangerous water levels in parts of the country.
Reports said that within a 16-hour period on Monday, the Irrawaddy River rose 12 feet in Kachin State’s Myitkyina Township, though the water level receded 5 feet on Wednesday.
Over two days, the river was higher than normal by 6 feet in Kachin State’s Bhamo town and by 3 feet in Sagaing Division’s Katha.
The department warned that the water level could increase by 5-6 feet in the coming days in areas of Sagaing and Mandalay divisions, including Myinmu and Nyaung-U; and by 4-5 feet in the next 5-10 days in parts of Magwe, Irrawaddy, and Pegu divisions, including Aunglan, Chauk, Hinthada, Minbu, Pakokku, Pyay and Sidoktaya.
Farmers with land on sand banks, as well as anyone operating boats, ships and fast crafts, should be particularly cautious, as the water could rise suddenly, state media said.
The Ministry of Information has also been sending alerts to mobile phones.
