MYANMAR’s largest conglomerate has allocated K2 billion (US$2 million) for rescue and rehabilitation work for the victims of Cyclone Nargis, its spokesman said last week.

Htoo Trading and sister company Air Bagan have been active in disaster-stricken Bogale township in the Ayeyarwady Delta since May 8, six days after the cyclone hit. The conglomerate has detailed 250 of its employees to relief efforts, and local daily workers have also been hired for construction and logistics.

The first stage of the project entails spending of $1 million for emergency relief, to be followed by another $1 million for rehabilitation in the most affected villages in Bogale township.

“We’re taking a particular interest in rehabilitation work in Bogale township and three nearby villages in the areas most affected by the cyclone,” said U Ye Min Oo, general manager of Htoo Trading, who is directing Htoo’s rescue team in Bogale.

Starting from the beginning of June, the Htoo rescue team has been assigned to undertake rehabilitation work in another four villages situated in remote areas that are hard to access.

The team is operating in the villages of Kyaing Chaung Gyi, Kyun Tharyar and Kune Thee Chaung, where only 10 to 20 percent of the population survived the disaster.

“So far, we have spent K1.7 billion ($1.7 million) on the distribution of relief supplies and reconstruction of damaged buildings, including hospitals, schools, religious edifices, monasteries and government offices,” U Ye Min Oo said.

Priority is given to monasteries because they can be used as refugee camps while more permanent accommodation is rehabilitated, and as schools.
A second priority is the construction of artesian wells and lakes for potable water, he added. “For the time being, clean drinking water and shelter are urgently needed,” U Ye Min Oo said.

But in the longer term, the victims will have to get back to their normal lives.
In order to help them do so, Htoo Trading and Air Bagan have offered 90 tractors and 30,000 baskets of paddy seeds for plantation to these three villages. To ensure a sufficient supply of food, the company has provided 2000 baskets of rice, which can last for six months until the harvest season.

“As far as our rehabilitation effort is concerned, we’ve provided all the agricultural machinery free of charge. The villagers don’t have to return anything to our company. This is just a humanitarian donation. We are not interested in doing business there,” U Ye Min Oo said, adding that the company would not bring back paddy from the region and had no plans to invest in agriculture there.

“Only if they have the chance to grow paddy during this season will they settle down in the future,” he told The Myanmar Times.

The company plans to import another 100 tractors for distribution to farmers in villages in and around Bogale.

“As our project cost is estimated at US$2 million, we will carry on until that sum is spent. So far, we don’t know whether we will continue or not when the $2 million is used up,” he added.