Relief and Resettlement Department

Relief and Resettlement

Department

The Relief and Resettlement Department was

formed under

the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement. It provides exigency

relief for those who run into trouble due to disaster which occur throughout

Myanmar. The objectives of the department are as follow:

  1. To give emergency relief to the vicitims of

    natural disasters to meet their food,     clothing and shelter 

    needs,

  2. To take preventive measures to minimize loss of lives, houses and property

    in times of calamities,

Official Concerned Provided Rice to

Flood victims

Providing

Assistance for Victims

Those who were in plight due to

outbreaks of fires, floods, storms 3rd earthquakes were provided with rice for

the period from 7 to 14 days according to the number of family members on the

basis of adult and child. Such household utensils as man nether garments, woman

nether garments, blankets, cloths, aluminium pots and enamel bowls were provided

according to households, and so were construction materials according to houses.

Construction materials for monastery and sets of robes for monks and nuns were

provided. The average value of relief supplies provided each year was K24.56

million.

Stock Piling of Relief Supplies

With a view to enabling the Relief and Resettlement

Department to take exigency relief quickly in case of any disaster, household

utensils such as male and female nether garments, blankets, cloth,  pots and

enamel wares enough for 10,000 households are stored at the Central Warehouse in

Yangon. Similar items enough for between 1000 and 2,500 households are also in

stock in 18 major cities of states and divisions based on the number of

outbreaks of disasters.

Support equipment such as generators, water pumps, water tanks and

tarpaulins are also stored. Upon the outbreaks of disasters, relief supplies are

issued immediately from the warehouses and provided for the victims. All kinds

of household items are provided for families of fire victims. However, only

necessary items are provided for flood and storm victims.

Shelters were constructed in safer

area for flood victims

Providing

Assistance to Rescue Drifting Persons

The Relief and Resettlement Department provides assistance for the persons

who have been adrift and stranded in other places inside the country and in

foreign countries due to ship or boat-wrecks in rivers or at high seas by

fulfilling the needs of their living and defraying the cost of their journey to

their native places. The persons who had been adrift to and stranded in the

foreign countries, were brought back by boat and air as well as by chartered

flight. In this regard, the Government spend not only Myanmar currency but also

foreign exchange.

Providing Assistance on Special occasions 

After the assumption of the duties of state by the State Peace and Development Council, relief and resettlement measures were taken more extensively. They were :

  1. rendering assistance to

    exinsurgents, who returned to the

    legal fold after realizing their misdeeds, with view to easing their food, clothing and shelter needs; 

  2. providing assistance to the people in implementing the projects for the progress of border areas and national races;

  3. providing assistance in systematically resettling the people from squatter quartered in new satellite

    towns;

  4. establishing reception camps in Maungtaw Township Rakhine State, to receive returnees from Bangladesh who had fled to that country, and providing relief supplies;

 

Relief Items are stored for exigency

Relief Measures

Measures for Natural Disaster Preparedness

Under the supervision of the Ministry of Social Welfare,

Relief and Resettlement, the Relief and Resettlement Department has taken

measures for natural disaster preparedness as follows:

  1. Formation of Natural Disaster prepardness,

    Relief and Resettlement Committee In line with the guideline of the State Peace and

    Development Council, the Central Natural Disaster Preparedness,

    Relief and Resettlement subcommittee has been set up,

    which is conposed of27persons including the Deputy Minister for

    Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement as chairman and

    delegates of the Tatmadaw and heads of department and NGO as

    members. The Director General of Relief and Resettlement Department

    acts as the secretary of the committee. Under the guideline of the

    Central Committee, state / division, district and township level

    committees have been setup.

  2. Natural disaster education courses In a bid to educate the public on

    preparedness and protection of disasters, emergency evacuation during the

    disasters and relief measures taken after the occurrence of a disaster,

    management training courses on natural disaster preparedness were opened yearly

    by rotation in States and Divisions in cooperation with other related

    Departments.

International Co-Operation

So as to gain experience and exchange views on natural

disasters, ministers themselves attended world conferences and regional seminars

held abroad, and delegates, and trainees were sent to attend them, thereby

cooperating with international and regional organizations.Myanmar, becoming a

member of the ASEAN as of23 July 1997, is playing an active part in activities

relating to natural disasters.

Being a member of UN, Myanmar actively participated in the

role of International Disaster Mitigation Works lead by UN Organzations. The

RRD has been designated as the Focal Point in Myanmar for disaster mitigation.

When natural catastrophes occurred in Myanmar, the Relief

and Resettlement Department enlisted foreign assistance in coordination with

Resident Representative of UNDP in Myanmar in line with the guideline of the

Government. Assistance provided by embassies and organizations in Myanmar was

accepted and sent to disaster areas.

 

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