• Burmese
Tuesday, July 15, 2025
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTER
The Irrawaddy
28 °c
Yangon
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
No Result
View All Result
The Irrawaddy
No Result
View All Result
Home Photo Essay

Dirty Living in Downtown Rangoon

Saw Yan Naing by Saw Yan Naing
September 6, 2013
in Uncategorized
Reading Time: 4 mins read
0 0
A A
Dirty Living in Downtown Rangoon

An alleyway in downtown Rangoon is filled with garbage. (Photo: Steve Tickner / The Irrawaddy)

5k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

RANGOON — Some people would call Burma’s commercial capital busy, others might describe it as expensive, but nearly everyone can agree on one thing: It’s dirty.

Travel guidebooks will say Rangoon is most famous for the beautiful Shwedagon Pagoda, a sacred Buddhist site and a major tourist attraction. But bring your eyes down from the towering golden spires to the streets, and the view can be somewhat less appealing.

In a city of more than 6 million residents, littering is a major problem for Rangoon. In the downtown area, it is common to see people tossing garbage on the curb, spitting betel nut juice onto the sidewalk, discarding leftover food in alleyways, and urinating on the roadside.

RelatedPosts

Martyrs’ Day Openly Commemorated by Thousands Nationwide

Martyrs’ Day Openly Commemorated by Thousands Nationwide

July 19, 2016
17.3k
Migrants’ Hopes and Fears in Little Burma

Migrants’ Hopes and Fears in Little Burma

July 16, 2016
10.3k
YCDC Takes to the Streets to Sterilize Stray Dogs

YCDC Takes to the Streets to Sterilize Stray Dogs

July 15, 2016
7.4k

“People don’t care about throwing rubbish here,” Aye Kyaw, a street vendor on Anawrahta Road, told The Irrawaddy. “Authorities also don’t have a good [waste collection] system. I know it’s not good for health, but it’s the practice. It’s normal here.

Another young man, Mon Yan, jumped into the conversation, saying, “I do throw trash carelessly sometimes, simply because I don’t see any trash bins nearby.”

He said people also commonly urinated on the roadside, and he joked, “If you don’t dare to urinate on the roadside, people here know that you are not a Rangoon resident.”

A shopkeeper added, “I think people are just in the habit of throwing rubbish, but it’s not a good habit. As our country opens up and more tourists visit, it’s not good for our image.”

During the hot months of summer, Rangoon reeks of refuse, and during monsoon season, when heavy rains can lead to flooding after a single day, garbage flows through the streets. Some floods are caused because the drains are blocked by trash.

The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the international development arm of the Japanese government, is working alongside the Yangon City Development Committee (YCDC), the administrative body of Rangoon, to help solve some of these problems by modernizing the city after decades of low investment during military rule. As part of the “Greater Yangon” project, JICA hopes to upgrade the city’s drainage facilities and sewage system, in addition to improving its water supply.

Noriko Sakurai, an adviser for the Japanese foundation, said the YCDC department for pollution control and cleaning launched an initiative in April last year to provide different garbage cans for wet and dry waste, though many more garbage cans are needed. Rangoon produces about 2,000 tons of garbage daily, according to local media reports. The city has several garbage dumps, but the main dump is in Hlaing Tharyar Township, on the city’s southwest outskirts.

Maki Morikawa, another adviser assisting JICA with infrastructure plans in Rangoon, said a research team working with Rangoon authorities had also identified a wide array of problems with public transportation in the city. Among priorities for investment, he cited a need to strengthen the reliability, comfort and safety of buses; to improve railway tracks and infrastructure, and to upgrade and modernize the traffic management system.

Despite political and economic reforms under Burma’s quasi-civilian government, Rangoon’s municipal department has been criticized by the public for failing to adequately improve waste management or tackle flooding, traffic congestion, poor water supply and power outages.

In May, environmentalists in the city planned to clean up some litter-strewn streets and public spaces over a weekend but were stopped by municipal authorities. The environmentalists, led by Free Funeral Service Association founder and former Burmese actor Kyaw Thu, began a campaign in two townships to educate the public on the importance of disposing waste properly. The group also planned to pick up trash in the downtown area, but they were contacted by a municipal committee and told they were forbidden from doing so.

At the time, Myint Myint Khin Pe, the wife of Kyaw Thu, told The Irrawaddy that the municipal authorities had not provided a reason for the decision. “They might think that our action is affecting their work somehow,” she said. “But it is neither to condemn the municipal department nor to highlight their weak points. At least this would have helped them to educate people on how to manage waste and how to throw it away properly.”

On many city streets, food vendors commonly set up tables alongside piles of garbage. Many Burmese rely on street food because it is cheaper than eating at restaurants, although often less sanitary. The majority of daily workers in the city earn about 50,000 kyats (US$50) monthly.

Ko Lin, a tour company driver, regularly eats street food. “I know it’s not good for my health, but I can’t pay for expensive food and I don’t have time to cook because I need to drive all day every day,” he said.

The street food made him sick when he first started eating it, after returning to Burma from time living abroad in Malaysia, but he said his stomach eventually adjusted. “I don’t want to get addicted to the habit of consuming good food simply because I can’t pay for it,” he said. “If you practice eating street food, you will make it. Your stomach will be upset the first time if you don’t do it often. But later you’ll have a strong stomach, like me.”

In Burma, the life expectancy for men is 60 years old, while the life expectancy for women is 65.

“I don’t expect to live longer than 50,” he added. “I’m afraid I can’t work to earn my living if I’m older than 50. I’m OK with that. It’s enough for me.”

Your Thoughts …
Tags: Multimedia
Saw Yan Naing

Saw Yan Naing

The Irrawaddy

Similar Picks:

A Chronology of the Kachin Conflict
Military

A Chronology of the Kachin Conflict

by The Irrawaddy
November 20, 2014
42.8k

On Wednesday, the Burma Army shelled a Kachin rebel base killing 22 cadets, making it one of the deadliest incidents...

Read moreDetails
Astrologists Tell the Future
Photo Essay

Astrologists Tell the Future, Offer Hope in Burma

by San Yamin Aung
September 26, 2013
4.7k

Fortune-tellers around the world tap into a natural desire to know what’s in store next, and the Burmese seem to...

Read moreDetails
The Last of the Old Irrawaddy Flotilla
Photo Essay

The Last of the Old Irrawaddy Flotilla

by Tim Willasey Wilsey
March 4, 2013
12.4k

If you go on Burma’s Irrawaddy River you can find 70-year-old, Scottish-built paddle steamers still plying the waters—the last of...

Read moreDetails
Iron Cross
Photo Essay

Iron Cross, Burma’s Biggest Band, Rocks Mae Sot

by The Irrawaddy
January 14, 2013
4.3k

After two decades as Burma's hottest rock band, Iron Cross plays its first concert for an appreciative crowd of thousands...

Read moreDetails
8888 Remembered: Archival Images Offer Glimpse of Burma’s Uprising
Military

8888 Remembered: Archival Images Offer Glimpse of Burma’s Uprising

by The Irrawaddy
August 8, 2015
27.7k

The Irrawaddy revisits the 1988 pro-democracy uprising with this series of archival images.

Read moreDetails
Kengtung—Shan State’s Hidden Gem
Photo Essay

Kengtung—Shan State’s Hidden Gem

by Hseng Noung Lintner
June 7, 2012
4.6k

The picturesque eastern Shan State town of Kengtung lies just three hours from the Thai border and is becoming a...

Read moreDetails
Load More
Next Post
Japanese Media Starts to Make Waves in Burma

Japanese Media Starts to Make Waves in Burma

Internet in Burma: Using a New Tool to Change Old Laws

Internet in Burma: Using a New Tool to Change Old Laws

No Result
View All Result

Recommended

Trump’s Tariffs to Hit Myanmar’s Garment Manufacturers Hard

Trump’s Tariffs to Hit Myanmar’s Garment Manufacturers Hard

6 days ago
1.3k
China’s Surveillance State Watches Everyone, Everywhere

China’s Surveillance State Watches Everyone, Everywhere

1 week ago
1.1k

Most Read

  • Myanmar Junta Launches Space Agency With Russian Help

    Myanmar Junta Launches Space Agency With Russian Help

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Myanmar Junta’s ‘Living Fence’ on Thai Border Falls to Karen Resistance

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • TNLA Invites Investment in Ruby and Mineral Towns Amid Myanmar Junta Onslaught

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • ‘Las Vegas in Laos’: the Riverside City Awash With Crime

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Two Myanmar Migrants Still Languish in Thai Jail Over Min Aung Hlaing Protest

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Newsletter

Get The Irrawaddy’s latest news, analyses and opinion pieces on Myanmar in your inbox.

Subscribe here for daily updates.

Contents

  • News
  • Politics
  • War Against the Junta
  • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
  • Conflicts In Numbers
  • Junta Crony
  • Ethnic Issues
  • Asia
  • World
  • Business
  • Economy
  • Election 2020
  • Elections in History
  • Cartoons
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Commentary
  • Guest Column
  • Analysis
  • Letters
  • In Person
  • Interview
  • Profile
  • Dateline
  • Specials
  • Myanmar Diary
  • Women & Gender
  • Places in History
  • On This Day
  • From the Archive
  • Myanmar & COVID-19
  • Intelligence
  • Myanmar-China Watch
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Food
  • Fashion & Design
  • Videos
  • Photos
  • Photo Essay
  • Donation

About The Irrawaddy

Founded in 1993 by a group of Myanmar journalists living in exile in Thailand, The Irrawaddy is a leading source of reliable news, information, and analysis on Burma/Myanmar and the Southeast Asian region. From its inception, The Irrawaddy has been an independent news media group, unaffiliated with any political party, organization or government. We believe that media must be free and independent and we strive to preserve press freedom.

  • Copyright
  • Code of Ethics
  • Privacy Policy
  • Team
  • About Us
  • Careers
  • Contact
  • Burmese

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Business Roundup
  • Books
  • Donation

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.