Media Roundup
August 23 - 29, 2010
Rice husks to power wards in Sittwe
RICE husk-powered power plants will be used to provide 24-hour electricity to some wards in the Rakhine State capital Sittwe, The Yangon Times reported on August 19.
The report said the project was about 60 percent finished but did not give an expected completion date. The generators will be used to provide electricity to police stations, Peace and Development Council offices, the telegraph office, Sittwe General Hospital and residential areas in some wards.
The report did not say how many megawatts the new plants will be able to generate.
The Department of Electricity is not able to provide electricity to all areas of the city and many wards rely on small generators, the report said.
Rice husk plants are used not only villages but also in urban areas of Mrauk U, Minbya, Taungup and Kyauktaw townships, the report said.
Yangon gets second children’s hospital
A PRIVATE company is converting an unused Ministry of Mines building in Yankin township into a children’s hospital, Weekly Eleven reported on August 18, quoting an official from Yangon Children’s Hospital.
The building has not been used since the Ministry of Mines moved to Nay Pyi Taw. Starting from early August, an unnamed private company has been upgrading the building to a 550-bed hospital, the report said.
“There will be two children’s hospitals in Yangon when Yankin Children’s Hospital opens. We can’t say exactly when that will happen because [the company] has only just started converting the building. It will be a state-run hospital,” the official said. The report said Yangon Children’s Hospital has 550 beds and treats patients up to 13 years of age. A special ward for children suffering from dengue fever was added earlier this year.
Industry prepares for chemical laws
BUSINESSES in Yangon industrial zones are now being provided with knowledge on the safe use of chemicals to prepare them for the release of a soon-to-be-released chemical safety law, Flower News reported on August 17.
The report said the Myanmar Industries Association is implementing the program and giving lectures to businesses in Dagon Seikkan Industrial Zone and Hlaing Tharyar Industrial Zone in Yangon Division. Next they will focus on businesses in Shwe Pyi Thar Industrial Zone, the report said.
“We are giving speeches at the industrial zones in Yangon to give them knowledge about the threats posed by chemical use so they will be prepared when the law is released,” said U Paw Hein, chairman of the Myanmar Industries Association.
