Even a light shower can flood the streets in Yangon. Aside from the drainage, residents also face issues with power shortages, broken pavements, traffic jams, poor waste management, homelessness and stray dogs – to name but a few. These urban woes are not specific to Yangon, but cities across the country are dealing with a […]
Construction permits available online by 2014
December 12, 2013 by
YANGON — Land developers in Yangon will soon be able to apply online for construction permits as of early 2014, according to the Yangon City Development Committee (YCDC). Speaking at a workshop for One Stop Services and e-Government, Maung Maung Zaw, the head of the YCDC building department, explained their plan to take services online. […]
Yangon Planning Committee Wants Public Access to Riverfront
December 5, 2013 by
YANGON — In order to get a sight of their city’s river, residents of Burma’s commercial capital currently cram into a few jetties where they can take morning exercise or evening walks. But soon, they may have more space. That is if the city’s committee working on urban planning gets its way. During a public […]
Yangon car horn-free zone a failure says traffic police
December 4, 2013 by
The government’s “No Car Horn Zone” launched ten years ago in Yangon City has failed, according to traffic police. Yangon is Myanmar’s commercial hub has growing reputation for noise pollution where drivers over-rely on their car horns to push their way through heavy traffic. Six main townships in the city were firstly designated as no-horn […]
Philips Links With Partners to Light Up Myanmar
November 30, 2013 by
YANGON — Dutch electronics giant Philips has teamed up with local partners to bring more of its products to Myanmar, as the brand looks to take advantage of the Southeast Asian nation’s growing demand for lighting. In a ceremony in the former capital Monday, the 120-year-old firm signed up with three companies who will distribute […]
On World Toilet Day, Calls for Better Sanitation in Myanmar
November 20, 2013 by
YANGON —The state of toilets and sewerage in Myanmar should be improved both to attract foreign visitors and to improve sanitation, observers said. Tuesday is designated by the United Nations as World Toilet Day. The day’s slogan this year is “We Can’t Wait,” and the official website says the purpose of the day is “urging […]
YCDC officials deflect permit delay claims
November 12, 2013 by
The Yangon City Development Committee’s (YCDC) building department hit back at claims that it delays issuing permits and does so improperly, during an October 29 press conference. U Maung Maung Zaw, the department’s head, said nearly 50 percent more permits have been issued in 2013 than in 2012. ‘’In the 2012-13 year we issued 2024 […]
Zoning plans remain stalled
November 12, 2013 by
A zoning and land-use plan to protect heritage buildings and Yangon’s most important religious site, Shwedagon Pagoda, remains locked in endless rounds of discussions more than a year after the laws were proposed. Twenty Yangon townships have been earmarked for heritage protection under the as-yet-unwritten plans, a Yangon City Development Committee official said last week. […]
