On April 30, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences (RCEES, CAS) organized a meeting to promote the China-Myanmar Ecological Drinking Water Safety Demonstration Cooperation Project. This meeting was held online and hosted by the project leader Prof. Fubo Luan. The participants included the members of the project team and experts from RCEES, CAS, Embassy of the People’s Republic of China to the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, International Cooperation Bureau of CAS, Water Resources & Hydroelectric Prospecting and Design Research Institute of Jiaxing City, and Power Construction Corporation of China as well as the Myanmar experts from Dr. Saw Mra Aung Foundation, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation, Myanmar Sustainable Development Engineering Services, and University of Yangon.

The meeting began with a brief introduction from Prof. Min Yang, the Deputy Director of RCEES, CAS, of the background and purpose of the China-Myanmar Ecological Drinking Water Safety Demonstration Cooperation Project. Mr. Zhe Su from Embassy of the People’s Republic of China to the Republic of the Union of Myanmar made a presentation on the fruitful scientific & technological cooperation between China and Myanmar. The Chairperson of the Dr. Saw Mra Aung Foundation introduced their work in Rakhine State, Myanmar, and the fruitful collaboration with the project team from RCEES on drinking water safety. Prof. Fubo Luan presented the achievements and cooperation with developing countries on water and environment carried out by RCEES and CAS-TWAS Centre of Excellence for Water and Environment (CEWE). The project team detailly presented the design proposal of the demonstration project. The experts from China and Myanmar fully affirmed the survey, research, and design of the demonstration project. They also agreed that the project was designed as an ecological drinking water system based on the culture and traditional water consumption habits in Myanmar, which can effectively guarantee the safety of local drinking water quantity and quality.

Although this project faced a series of challenges due to the domestic political situation and COVID-19 in Myanmar, the project team has made important progress and gained high evaluation from the local people and partners in Myanmar. It is hoped that this project would be a landmark of China-Myanmar cooperation and would be widely applied in more developing countries.

CAS-TWAS Centre of Excellence for Water and Environment 

May 9, 2021