Myanmar’s military regime plans to redesign Naypyitaw after the March 28 earthquake wrecked government buildings, staff apartments and infrastructure in the administrative capital.
During an April 18 regime cabinet meeting, junta boss Min Aung Hlaing announced plans for soil tests as part of reconstruction of buildings in less earthquake-prone areas. He boasted that staff housing would be rebuilt to withstand earthquakes up to magnitude 8.
The same day saw Min Aung Hlaing and his deputy Soe Win inspect severely damaged government offices, including the Union Supreme Court, ministries of labor, legal affairs, finance and planning, and the Social Security Board. The junta boss proposed that instead of constructing large single buildings, smaller, modular structures should be built to improve earthquake resistance.
The quake-hit Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Hotels and Tourism, and the Central Bank are among several regime offices that are now being run from tents.
Some offices are planning to temporarily relocate to Yangon by the end of April.
The 7.7-magnitude earthquake devastated thousands of structures, including roads, bridges, hospitals, hotels, reservoirs, residential apartments, and religious sites, prompting questions over whether Naypyitaw, built by former military dictator Than Shwe two decades ago, can ever be restored to its previous state.
Naypyitaw suffered the second-highest death toll after Mandalay, with heavy fatalities among government employees and their families as hundreds of staff buildings collapsed.
A leaked preliminary assessment by the regime revealed that of 1,556 staff buildings in nine wards and two areas of the capital, 116 collapsed and 494 were severely damaged, leaving 610 unfit for habitation. Many staff have been forced to stay in makeshift tents.
“There was neither proper planning nor quality control. They only demanded speed, and the question was always ‘when will it be finished?” said an engineer involved in construction of staff housing in Naypyitaw.
In May 2022, Min Aung Hlaing vowed to turn Naypyitaw into a model green, clean and smart city during an urban development meeting.
While Thailand swiftly arrested construction executives following the collapse of a Bangkok skyscraper during the quake, no one has been held accountable for the widespread destruction in Naypyitaw. The junta boss insisted only on a review of construction quality standards and design failures during the April 18 cabinet meeting.
His statement suggests Naypyitaw will remain the regime’s administrative capital, but the smart city plan is out of the question given the time and resources needed to simply restore the wrecked urban environment.
On Saturday, the junta boss also visited quake-devasted Sagaing and Mandalay, pledging a reconstruction fund of 50 billion kyats (US$ 23.8) for the former and 60 billion kyats for the latter.
The regime reported that, as of Sunday, 3,735 people had been killed by the earthquake and 120 were missing.
Min Aung Hlaing has pledged 1 million kyats in compensation for the families of each person killed in the quake, and promised additional payments for wrecked houses, depending on the extent of the damage.
A total 65,096 buildings and 5,488 government offices were destroyed or damaged in the quake, with losses estimated at 2,919.778 billion kyats, according to the junta’s Social Welfare Ministry.
