The survey of economic and social conditions was conducted as part of its new cooperation with Mandalay City Development Committee, which is aiming to turn Mandalay into a “green”, or environmentally friendly, city.
Speaking at a recent city development forum at Mandalay’s Swan Hotel earlier this month, ADB expert Alistair Blunt said the committee also needs to improve the city’s sanitation and rubbish collection systems, while also taking steps to control pollution, particularly wastewater.
“The main problem is running water. According to our survey, we found that running water can’t be used as drinking water. There have been few investments in running water and both the quality and [provision] of water [need to improve],” Mr Blunt said.
The survey also found that most underground water “can’t be used for domestic purposes” because it is of poor quality, he added.
ADB has set up an office inside the MCDC compound to gather data on the city’s residents, observe MCDC departments and work more closely with the committee’s officials. In seven poor wards in Chan Mya Thar Si and Pyigyitagun townships, the ADB is also expected to provide US$2 million in assistance in 2014 for community development.
Mr Blunt said important decisions on land use would also shape the direction of the city’s growth.
“Mandalay has good prospects for development if it occurs systematically through long-term projects. If military-owned land is managed systematically, it will be convenient for the increase of population in the city,” he said.
“We’ve found that Patheingyi township can be expanded if there is a need to widen the town to cater to the growing population. And there will be room for investment in the northern area. But if land needs to be confiscated for new developments then fair compensation should be given to the farmers.”
Participants at the forum also discussed the weaknesses in the municipal council, particularly the collecting of a wide variety of taxes. One ADB expert said the bank had found that 13 of the committee’s 14 department collect some kind of taxes. This is problematic in terms of financial transparency and “makes people confused about the collection of taxes”.
He recommended the introduction of computerised bookkeeping to improve efficiency and accountability.
“I don’t mean the current procedure is inaccurate … [but] if a computer system is used for finances we can clearly see the balance sheet.”
An MCDC official said the authorities have already learned the cost of poorly planned development, pointing to the lack of wastewater treatment in the city’s industrial zone, where 97 factories discard 400,000 gallons (1.8 million litres) of wastewater each day.
source: The Myanmar Times
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