17 October 2009: The Township Peace and Development Council (TPDC) is collecting Kyat 3000 each from every house in Falam town, Chin state western Burma in order to repair hydro electricity facilities.
A report said the hydro-electricity facility in Nghalsip River near Manipur River 14 miles from eastern Falam has been damaged by landslide and it is not working. Therefore, the Falam TPDC is collecting donation in Falam town and its nearby villages to repair the hydro-electricity machine.
“Now 30 daily workers are into repair work and they earn Kyat 2500 each per day. The work started on October 12. It cannot be said how long it will take,” said a source in Falam town.
There is only one hydro-electricity unit in Falam Township, which was set up by French engineers in 1976. It is 240 KV units and serves the whole Falam Township.
However, in reality only nine villages can afford electricity from among 160 villages in Falam Township. Although some villages cannot get regular electricity, they have to pay the bill regularly.
“The authorities collect electricity bill every month, but we get power only three days in a week accounting for 10 hours. It is very disappointing,” said a local to Khonumthung News.
In fact, Chin state is one of the worst states and divisions regarding transportation and electricity in Burma. Most of the villagers depend on lanterns and candles.- Khonumthung News