The CEO of the New Yangon City project said he believed the controversial project on the western bank of the Yangon River will be “a success” if Myanmar is able to take advantage of trade tensions between the U.S. and China and lure more foreign investors. “I believe we will succeed; now is the right […]
Experts urge soil tests to help buildings survive earthquake
Geology and construction experts are urging building companies to conduct soil tests before erecting buildings to ensure safety amid increasing earthquakes. Government data show that over 60 earthquakes struck Myanmar in 2017 and about 40 the year before. U Saw Htwe Zaw, vice chairman of the Myanmar Earthquake Committee (MEC), said that under the country’s […]
Joint Study Aims to Map Myanmar Quake Risks
Research into earthquakes is being carried out jointly by the Myanmar Earthquake Committee and the China Academy of Sciences. Myanmar Earthquake Committee secretary U Myo Thant said that 65 earthquake prediction (GPS) equipment will be deployed underground by geologists from both countries, starting in 2018. The equipment, which will record data, were installed in various […]
Ready to Rumble?
Weekend investigates the sleeping giant underneath Yangon. It’s not a matter of if, but when. This verdict comes up time and time again when speaking to local and international experts on the likelihood of Yangon’s next big earthquake. Why? The largest city in Myanmar is currently facing twin threats of bad location and bad timing. […]
Analysing Yangon’s Earthquake Safety
Fifty buildings in Yangon will be analysed for earthquake safety later this month using visual screening technology in a new joint project. The analysis will be conducted by UN-Habitat, the Myanmar Earthquake Committee, the Myanmar Engineering Society, and Yangon City Development Committee. The buildings being prioritised for the screening include hospitals and schools, according to […]
Myanmar is lifting its game on earthquake preparations with initiatives that seek to make new buildings ‘quake-proof’
Students of the Myanmar’s Ministry of Construction training college on the outskirts of Yangon sit patiently listening in an open humid room, their tools stacked under their chairs. At face value, the class would appear to be yet another lesson in theory for for Yangon’s future builders, a standard curriculum for a vocational college. But […]