H.E. Mr. Ichiro MARUYAMA, Ambassador of Japan to the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, and each representative of recipient organizations from Mon State　and Magway Region signed grant contracts for three projects on 21 February 2019. The Government of Japan, under Japan’s Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP) Scheme, will provide a total of US $335,838 as follows:

1) The Project for Construction of Ywar Thar Village Bridge in Taungdwingyi Township, Magway Region (US $ 103,988);
2) The Project for Construction of Taung Sun Village Bridge in Ye Township, Mon State (US $ 97,518); and
3) The Project for Construction of Bridge between Than Chaik Village and Myo Hla Village in Aunglan Township, Magway Region (US $ 134,297).

In Ywar Thar village, the water level of the stream recedes during the dry season where residents can walk across to access facilities such as schools or hospitals and vehicles pass for transporting agricultural crops. However, the water level rises up to two meters during the rainy season which makes the stream impassable. During this season, residents are unable to access social and economic services and are constantly facing dangers of injuries from flood debris. The recipient organization has experiences in constructing other facilities such as walkways in the subjected area and are hoping to provide a safer environment for the residents to cross the stream. In order to assist in creating an accessible transportation environment, the Government of Japan will provide funding for the construction of a 36-meter-long and 4.3-meter-wide reinforced concrete bridge which will benefit 7,365 residents in nine surrounding villages.

Taung Sun village bridge is located in Ye Township, Mon State. The bridge was constructed by the local villagers approximately 20 years ago but due to its fragility, large and heavy vehicles are unable to use the path. Ye Township is notorious for its heavy rain during the rainy season, making the bridge and nearby grounds impassable for the villagers to access facilities such as schools and health centers. In addition, the bridge is used to transport rubber products from a large-scale plantation nearby and the fragility of the bridge is one of the factors hindering the economic growths in this area. In order to tackle these issues, the Government of Japan will provide assistance for the construction of a 12.2-meter-long, 6.1-meter-wide reinforced concrete bridge and a 35 meter approach road which are expected to benefit 13,614 residents among 11 surrounding villages.

The stream between Than Chaik village and Myo Hla village in Aunglan Township is widely used by residents in this area to walk or drive across the stream during dry season. There are 325 vehicles driving between the two villages for medical transports and agricultural crop shipments. However, the water level rises up to 2.4 meters during the rainy season and could go up to 3 meters in heavy rain, making the stream impassable. During this time, students are unable to reach their schools and vehicles are unable to transport goods between the two villages. To improve this situation, the Government of Japan will provide assistance for the construction of a 56-meter-long, 4.7-meter-wide reinforced concrete bridge which will benefit 35,210 residents in 60 surrounding villages.

The Government of Japan has assisted 889 grass-roots projects in Myanmar under the GGP scheme since 1993, including 456 education projects, 200 healthcare projects, 140 public welfare and environment projects, 58 infrastructure projects and 35 others. This assistance is expected to further strengthen the existing friendly relations between Japan and Myanmar.