Ayeyarwady River Contract Awarded

The Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, Netherlands Enterprise Agency (Rijksdienst voor Ondernemend Nederland) has contracted Royal HaskoningDHV for a Feasibility Study on improvement of the navigability of the Ayeyarwady River in Myanmar.

The Ayeyarwady River connects the 2 most important cities of Myanmar, Yangon (5 million inhabitants) and Mandalay (1 million inhabitants) with the hinterland. The river forms the most important transportation route for the many resources which the hinterland has to offer: agricultural products, wood, gas, oil, coal and gold.

By improving and intensifying the navigability of the Ayeyarwady River, the country’s economy is expected to benefit greatly.

The assignment is carried out by Royal HaskoningDHV in cooperation with the Rebel group and Arcadis.

The consortium started the feasibility study in November 2014 and will carry out the following activities:

– The review of the current river training works;

– Update of the River Training Master Plan dating from 1988 and assessment of the technical and economic feasibility of the measurements proposed in the Master Plan;

– Identify the optimal river training works in 2 pilot areas through river modelling (SOBEK and Delft 2D/3D);

– Develop designs of the river training works for the two pilot locations;

– Develop a plan for improved aids to navigation.

The study is carried out in the framework of the strategic co-operation between the Governments of Myanmar and the Netherlands in the field of water management and the ongoing IWRM Project. As such, the study also contributes greatly to the positioning of the Dutch Water Management expertise in Myanmar and the region.

The assignment will result in an updated Ayeyarwady River Training Master Plan and designs for river training works for two pilot areas which can be taken forward by the World Bank program currently under preparation.

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