Geology and Hydrogeology ofthe Dry Zone, Central Myanmar

International Association of Hydrogeologists, NSW13th February 2018

The Dry Zone

Desperation for Groundwater in Dry Zone• Dry Zone - economically most deficient in country• 15.4 million people live in the Dry Zone• 43 percent of households live under poverty

conditions• 80% of population live in rural communities• Lack of water constrains livelihood andagriculture and contributes to prevailingpoverty and insecurity• 25% still without safe groundwater• Most villages, towns and cities rely ongroundwater for potable water supplies• Mandalay City - 90% groundwater• Yangon - 45% groundwater

Almost Dry Dugwell

Collecting Water Under Drilling RigOH&S not an issue here

Desperation for Groundwater in Dry Zone

• Away from the Ayeyarwady River the DryZone is extremely short of water especiallyduring the Dry Season

• Villagers without tubewells water travelgreat distances to collect small quantitiesof water from shallow dugwells andpolluted ponds

• Water shortage causes the people tosuffer from water-borne and relateddiseases

• Average life is 65 years (male) and68 years (female)

Polluted Village Pond

Algae Covered Village Pond

•Recent groundwaterdevelopment

•Irrigation areas•Proposed regionalpipelines

•groundwaterdependent townsand cities

Why Publish a Bookon the Dry Zone

• Too many villages do not have clean drinking water• 1 in 3 holes are abandoned. A lot of wasted money & resources• Some NGOs and INGOs & UN agencies have no idea on g/w• G/w irrigation areas are decided by ministerial decree• 1986 book still used as text book in universities• AusAID paid me

Taung Oo Village G/W Supply

Experience in Myanmar

GroundwaterReview for the

Ayeyarwady Stateof the Basin

Assessment Report,Client: World Bank

2017

North-west VillageWater Supply,

Sanitation,HIV/AIDS Project,Myanmar, Client:Salvation Army,

Singapore.2002-1003

Burma VillageWater Supply

Project, CentralMyanmar, Client:

AusAID.1984-1988

Mandalay CityWater Supply andSanitation Project,Central Myanmar,

Client: AsianDevelopment Bank

1987-1988

GroundwaterIrrigation 1 Project,Myanmar, Client:

World Bank.1988

Taung Zin PipedWater Supply

Project, CentralMyanmar, Client:

AusAID.1986-1988

Water Supplies forPetroleum Industry,

Myanmar, Client:CROFT Expl.; BHP

Petroleum;UNOCAL; Petro

Canada; and Shell.1982-2004

Groundwater TeamsMeiktila Training School,Central Myanmar ,1986

Nay Phi Taw, GroundwaterWorkshop, 2017

Plate TectonicsREGIONAL AND LOCAL GEOTECHNIC FEATURES EAST OF ZONE OF SUBDUCTION

Geology ofDry Zone,

CentralMyanmar

GeologicalLegend and

Cross SectionsDry Zone,

CentralMyanmar

Complex Geology

Volcanics

Au / Cu Mining

Oil and Gas Fields

Gem Mining

Mud Volcanoes

Subdivision ofareas

Chauk – Kyaukpadaung - Yenangyaung Area

Cross SectionChauk –Kyaukpadaung -Yenangyaung

• Marine shales andfaults - hydrogeologicalboundaries

• Variation in piezometricsurface and depth

• Highly saline inanticlines oil fields

• Volcanic intrusions

> 2,500 years Hot Groundwater

Pakokku to Pale Basin Area

Cross SectionPakokku Area• Hydrogeological

boundaries• Perched Aquifers• Structural controlled

aquifers• Highly saline in

anticlines oil fields

Artesian PaleSub-basinWaterManagement

Mu River Valley

18m artesian headAyadaw Artesian Zone

Springs of Sagaing Fault

46-50oC, 50,000 µS/cm,>40,000 years

Village Water Supply

Myingyan – MyothaHighly saline (>100,000 µS/cm, Pegu Group contaminates IrrawaddyFormation, anticlinal folds but no oil. Large number of abandonedbores but also successes.

Meiktila – Myittha area

Mandalay City Water Supply

Mandalay City Water SupplyPopulation: 1.28 millionOperator: Water and Sanitation Department, Mandalay City Development Committee (MCDC)Location: East bank of Ayeyarwady River towards Shan Plateau. Altitude around 70 m AMSL.Water Source: In 2016 – 136,364 m3/day (30 MGD) is consumed, comprising:

· 90% groundwater - 122,727 m3/day (27 MGD) from 48 DTW; and· 10% surface water - 13,637 m3/day (3 MGD) from the Ayeyarwady River/Sedawgyi Dam.

Supply System: Tubewell Water Transmission Pipeline Reservoir Disinfection DistributionPump Reticulated Water SupplyGeological Units:Alluvium (U. Pleistocene to Holocene) overlying Irrawaddy Formation (L. Pleistocene to Upper Miocene)

Geology Unit Thickness(Depth m)

Lithofacies Aquifer type/ Aquitard

ExtractionMethod

Alluvium

Holocene

Upper – midPleistocene

Aquifer 1 30 (30 / 40) Yellow silty sandbands

Unconfined Dugwell

Aquitard 1 ? Yellow, brownclay

Confining layer

Aquifer 2 40 (70 / 72) Yellow brownsilty sand

Shallow partiallyconfined

Private shallowtubewell

Aquitard 2 20 (90 / 97) Brown clay Confining layerAquifer 3 70+ (max.160) Yellow sand,

gravelConfined Deep tubewell

Yield (m3/day): 5,000 (NW), 2,000 - 3,000 (Central), 800 (South) Well Efficiency: 80 -90%Irrawaddy Fm.L. Pleistocene toU. Miocene

Aquitard 3 Blue clay, silt Confining layerAquifer 4 30

(>250-300m)Sand/gravel Deep Confined Deep tubewell

Aquifers: Four distinct aquifers and three aquitards. Aquifer 4 recently found in deeper drilling.Borefield: 48 deep production tubewells screened in Aquifer 3 throughout city (location see Figure 54).Pumping at 30MGD, system equipped at 40MGD. Some clogging issues with older tubewells. MCDC add2 to 4 tubewells/year. Industrial areas have private tubewells only.Water Level Decline: 0, 30 and 60 metres in north-west, central/south and eastern/south-eastern areasVariation in Hydrogeological parameters: See Table xx and Table yyWater Quality: See Table xx. Waters from Aquifers 1 and 3 are slightly hard.

Water Balance for Ayeyarwady River and MuRiver Valleys

Geology ofDry Zone,

CentralMyanmar

HydrogeologicalFeatures in Dry

Zone

Salinity Map ofthe Dry Zone

Low Salinity /High Yield

Aquifers

‘Normal’ Challenges in Data Collection

• Information is power to individuals. If you have data you are‘superior’ to other surrounding professionals

• From Monarchy - British bureaucracy – military dictatorship –semi-democratic government: nothing much has changed indata sharing mentality.

• Leviathan government bureaucracy. It is like a black hole –requests go in and nothing comes out (even worse than‘freedom of information’ in Australia .

• Ignorance and slackness by UN, NGO and INGO datacollection and records

‘Normal’ Challenges in Field Operations• logistics and obtaining permission to travel outside tourist areas• health, communication and security issues• poor accommodation and shoddy vehicles available, no insurance• no Groundwater Law or Regulations – government appointed

academic water engineers given task of preparing groundwaterregulations

• Groundwater Advisory Board occupied by government appointedacademics and engineers with no groundwater experience

• no groundwater management authority and mentality

Key Attributes to Data Collection

• Understand your government – know their history, religion, customs, traditions,legislation, holidays and political standing

• Be courteous, do not criticise but maintain pressure on requests – frequent visitsand emails

• Know the relevant politicians and Director Generals• Don’t take crap from UN, NGOs or INGOs (territorial creatures) – know hierarchy• Do not attempt to bribe. Any suggestion – just walk away• In-country, long experience, reputation, maintain friendship regardless of past-

history• Allow plenty of time for data collection and rejection of misinformation