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Most of post-cyclone reconstruction work finishes in Yangon

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-12-08 11:03

YANGON -- Most of the post-cyclone reconstruction work has finished in the municipal area of Myanmar' s former capital city of Yangon, the local weekly Flower News reported Monday.

Spending 2.86 billion Kyats ($2.3 million), 11 government departments have jointly rebuilt lamp posts, platforms, markets, schools and offices destroyed in the storm and replanted over 77,000 shade-providing trees and floral plants downed in the disaster, the report said.

The May storm brought down over 13,000 old-aged trees and thousands of other shade-providing ones including 500 of over one hundred aged trees and over 10,000 of over 30-40 aged ones in the area, according to earlier report.

Such downed trees once destroyed much of the infrastructures of the city and much efforts were made to remove them from pressing on buildings and blocking the roads.

The stem roots of trees of 30 to 100 years of age have been or are being sold freely to both domestic and foreign entrepreneurs for use in sculpture and decoration.

Deadly tropical cyclone Nargis, which occurred over the Bay of Bengal, hit five divisions and states -- Ayeyawaddy, Yangon, Bago, Mon and Kayin on last May 2 and 3, of which Ayeyawaddy and Yangon inflicted the heaviest casualties and massive infrastructural damage.

The storm has killed 84,537 people, leaving 53,836 missing and 19,359 injured according to official death toll.