Burmese PM Outlines Post-Cyclone Relief, Rehabilitation Work – Chinese Agency

Text of report in English by official Chinese news agency Xinhua (New China News Agency)

[Xinhua: "Myanmar PM on Post-Storm Relief, Rehabilitation Work"]

Yangon [Rangoon], Sept. 11 (Xinhua) – Over 1 million people in Myanmar’s storm-hit regions have been rescued in time, the official newspaper New Light of Myanmar [Burma] quoted Prime Minister General Thein Sein as saying Thursday.

At a coordination meeting on the post-storm restoration status in Ayeyawaddy delta held in Nay Pyi Taw, Thein Sein, who is also Chairman of Natural Disaster Preparedness Central Committee, attributed the fact to the harmonious cooperation of Myanmar, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the United Nations (UN).

Noting that rehabilitation work has been carried out to a certain extent, Thein Sein said the committee has created the better shelter for the homeless by building wooden houses for the survivors with corrugated iron sheets, adding that so far 2,000 houses have been built and more are under construction.

He stressed the need to give priority to resumption of agriculture work and then fishing and salt industry in the storm- hit regions, saying that 8,536 power tillers, 2,633 draught cattle, over 1.7 million baskets (34,000 tons) of paddy strains and fuel have been delivered to the disaster-hit areas.

He held that over 90 per cent of ravaged farmlands have so far been put under paddy.

He said that a total of 9,500 fishing boats and 14,955 fishing nets have been provided to the survived fishermen. And a total of 10,553 acres (4,273 hectares) have been put under “Khu-aing” paddy strains although time has not come yet to make salt out of salt field’ natural condition and the production of 300,000 tons of salt is being targeted.

According to the prime minister, the storm which swept Myanmar in early last May, caused damage to about 500,000 acres of farmlands and death to about 130,000 draught cattle with large number of farming implements and tractors destroyed.

Besides, a total of 23,458 acres ( 9,500 hectares) of salt fields, 24,214 tons of crude salt and equipment were destroyed in Myaungmya, Laputta, Pyapon and Ngaputaw in the Ayeyawaddy delta with many salt industry workers losing their lives in the storm.

Meanwhile, a joint assessment report of Myanmar-ASEAN-UN estimated the total damage and losses due to the cyclone storm at 4.4 to 4.5 trillion Kyats ( 4.02 to 4.13 billion US dollars).

The loss in agricultural production were extensive and greatly affects the population in the delta, the assessment report said, adding that the cyclone caused flood of over 600,000 hectares of farmland, killing up to 50 per cent of draught cattle, destroying fishing boats and sweeping away food stocks and agricultural implements.

The preliminary recovery needs were assessed at over 1 billion dollars over the next three years.

Deadly tropical cyclone Nargis hit five divisions and states – Ayeyawaddy, Yangon, Bago, Mon and Kayin on last May 2 and 3, of which Ayeyawaddy and Yangon inflicted the heaviest casualties and massive infrastructural damage.

The storm has killed 84,537 people, leaving 53,836 missing and 19,359 injured according to official death toll.

Originally published by Xinhua news agency, Beijing, in English 0319 11 Sep 08.

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