Mandalay Authorities ‘Dragging Their Feet’ Over Post-Earthquake Rebuilding
Authorities in quake-hit Mandalay are dragging their feet in inspecting damaged buildings to assess risks and handling applications for demolition or repair, residents say.
In a notice on May 10, the municipality told homeowners in six townships whose houses have been marked unfit for habitation to submit rebuilding plans endorsed by licensed engineers to the Construction Department.
“My two-story brick house didn’t collapse, but some of the pillars were slightly damaged,” said a resident from Chanmyathazi Township who had to vacate the property.
“Since it was built by a private builder, they said they could assess and repair it. Some repairs are already completed, but then the municipal authorities came and told me to stop. That was more than 10 days ago, but no municipal officials have come to inspect it.”
The March 28 earthquake claimed over 2,000 lives in Myanmar’s second city and wrought massive destruction. Hundreds of aftershocks have continued since the quake, forcing residents to sleep outside, enduring temperatures of 42 C.
“We’ve been sleeping outside on the street since the earthquake,” the resident said. “It’s really difficult to keep living like this when inspections aren’t happening and repairs aren’t allowed.”
The Mandalay City Development Committee said nearly 4,000 buildings collapsed completely, and it has been clearing rubble and rebuilding since March 29.
“We’re working in line with guidelines” from the top, a committee official said. “We want to make sure rehabilitation is systematic.”
The committee has warned of legal action against those who fail to comply with its regulations.
In some cases, collapsed houses lean on buildings next to them, and demolition or repairs have resulted in disputes between neighbors.
Though deputy junta chief Soe Win claimed he had handed out 60 billion kyats for earthquake recovery in Mandalay, quake victims say they have not seen a penny.
Many low and middle-income families are struggling even to get debris cleared, and in the meantime the price of building materials has skyrocketed.
Mandalay Municipality has announced plans to sell cement at a special fixed price of 20,000 kyats per bag starting from May 13—but only for lightly damaged homes that can be restored for habitation. Owners need to register with local authorities to buy the cement.
The official death toll from the earthquake is 3,835 with 5,105 injured and 108 missing as of May 1. Over 60,000 houses were destroyed or damaged, according to the regime.
