(Yangon, 30 May 2018) MPT, the nation’s first and leading telecommunications operator, on 29th May, held a tube well handover ceremony in Thar Yar Su Village in Monywa Township, Sagaing region, as part of its Myanmar In Our Heart campaign. In line with the campaign, the operator is organizing its ongoing Clean and Sustainable Water Program to provide hygienic water supplies, by drilling tube wells and creating reservoir ponds for local communities around the country that live poor access to this life-giving resource.

This new well will significantly improve the daily lives of Thar Yar Su village’s 400 residents by saving their hours every day, having previously been forced to collect water from distant and possible unclean sources, as well as improve public health outcomes, both of which are goals of the national carrier’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs.

The Monywa contribution is part of the second phase of the program, through which 200 million Ks is being put into the construction of new clean water sources for local communities in collaboration with the Department of Rural Development, as well as nongovernmental organization (NGO) partners, including the Network Activities Group (NAG) and Bridge Asia Japan (BAJ). This second donation will pay for 10 tube wells and ponds, with handover events planned for the following locations:

The program is making a lasting mark on many communities around Myanmar primarily due to its core focus on ensuring sustainability via the creation of local water committees, formed by the residents themselves. These committees are tasked with developing strategies to maintain the performance of the tube wells and their associated parts. This unique long-term approach is what sets MPT’s initiative apart from other water availability programs.

“Our Clean and Sustainable Water Program is making a meaningful difference for many people in Myanmar. In these water-depressed areas, safe and reliable access to this vital resource is a daily concern. Our hearts beat with the people of Myanmar, and we care deeply about the well-being of all citizens, and so we are pleased to once again be empowering yet another community with the self-sustaining operation of a tube well here today. The impact this will have on lives here in Monywa cannot be understated. We thank our partners, communities and NGOs with whom we work for their invaluable contributions that are helping us to move Myanmar forward,” said U Naing Ko Ko, Deputy Chief Operating Officer at MPT-KSGM Joint Operations.

U Tun Hlaing, village administrative officer of Thar Yar Su village was visibly moved as he shared his thoughts over the newly-minted tube well: “Over 400 people are living in our village, and farming and livestock are our main businesses. To even retrieve water each day requires a one mile walk from the village, and the supply we get is bitter and yellowish. However now, we are very delighted that we can drink and use purified water provided by the tube well through this program. I am deeply appreciative of MPT, its employees, the government officials and the others who supported us on this amazing endeavour.”

Preceding the current phase of the program, the earlier first phase was a 250 million Ks project involving 15 tube wells and ponds that were built or dug to improve water access in affected areas including Mandalay, Sagaing, Magway, Bago (west), Ayeyarwaddy, Yangon, Mon State and Kayin State.

For more information on MPT’s nationwide Myanmar in Our Heart Campaign and its many CSR efforts, please visit its official Facebook page at www.facebook.com/mptofficialpage.