MYANMAR — In March of 2016, Htin Kyaw was sworn in as the first democratic president of Myanmar (Burma), ending 50 years of militarized dictatorship. The country has since started to become a part of the global economy, yet the values of a democracy are seemingly remiss as many citizens lack basic human rights and needs.

Myanmar still remains isolated from the rest of the world in many respects. While it’s no longer uncommon to see mobile devices or neon signs in urban areas, development of rural areas is slow and access to clean water is minimal for both rural and urban populations. Industrial waste, mining and agriculture are top offenders of water quality in Myanmar. The economy is largely supported by the exportation of many natural resources.

Lead, copper, cadmium and zinc concentrations have been reported in stream water of rivers and in water treatment facilities in the Gyama Valley as a result of mining. Additionally, pesticides in agricultural areas and chemical and biochemical oxygen demand in industrial wastewater are rising and continuously affecting water quality in Myanmar.

The government has notoriously mismanaged the water systems and done very little to plan for seasonal droughts, natural disasters and sanitation issues. While the new leadership started out with intentions to improve water management, its recent activity has proved otherwise.

In April of this year, studies showed that 70 of Myanmar’s bottled water brands failed the FDA testing, but were still granted licenses to manufacture. Myanmar uses the standard plate count (SPC) to determine the number of bacteria per milliliter.

“In the U.S.A. and the E.U., the standard is 100 bacteria/milliliter. Our standard was also 100/ml. But it was apparently too high for domestic brands,” Myanmar’s FDA Director-General, Dr. Than Htut told Eleven. “So we have relaxed the criterion to 500/ml after learning that it is accepted in other Southeast Asian countries.”

The SPC method measures whether colonies of bacteria will develop E. coli and coliform that can result in bloody diarrhea, vomiting, pneumonia, urinary tract infections and respiratory illnesses.

While Myanmar has stated that they will not approve bottled water brands that have traces of E. coli, there is still a lack of efficiency in the filtration of water in the country. Because of the new leadership, there is hope that the water quality in Myanmar will soon improve. Many humanitarian groups are taking measures to improve aspects of water quality.

In April of 2017, World Vision International and Proctor & Gamble Children’s Safe Drinking Water program came together to show families in rural Myanmar how to safely gather and use water.

“Clean water is vital to your health and communities,” said Moe Thu, associate director of humanitarian and emergency affairs with World Vision International in Myanmar at the gathering of local residents. “There are nearly 200,000 people living in this area. We really want to help all of you to have access to clean water, which is important to your health.”

– Madeline Boeding

Photo: Flickr