2.4 Myanmar’s water uses

Myanmar currently uses less than 5% of the renewable water resource available to it. Of the water it withdraws, around 89% is for agriculture, 10% for municipalities, and 1% for industry (ADB, 2013). This is a higher agricultural average than for Asia as a whole, reflecting the lower level of industrialisation and urbanization in Myanmar. Approximately 91% of Myanmar’s total water withdrawal comes from surface water, and 9% from groundwater (ADB, 2017).

Again, Myanmar does not follow the trend in Asia, where countries rely heavily on ground water extraction. This is because Myanmar has abundant surface water resources. There are three main water use categories in Myanmar.

Figure 4 Main water uses in Myanmar.

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A graphic with a centre circle stating main water use categories in Myanmar. Around the outside are three other circles. The first says water for agricultural use, the second says water for industrial use, and the third says water for domestic use.

Figure 4 Main water uses in Myanmar.

You will explore each of these three main water uses in the next three sections.