Sittaung River
While riding pony cart on the Sittaung bridge, pagodas around the Sittaung River can be watched.
The Sittaung is a river in south central Myanmar in Bago Division. The Pegu Range separates its basin from that of the Irrawaddy. The river originates at the edge of the Shan Plateau southeast of Mandalay, and flows southward to the Gulf of Martaban. Its length is 420 km and annual discharge is around 50 cubic kilometers per year. The Bago-Sittaung basins together is one of the four major basins in Myanmar.
The river is used primarily to float timber south for export. Strong currents make the river even less valuable as a means of transport in eastern Burma. Its basin does not have the same richness for agriculture as the Irrawaddy because there is no soil flowing down from the Shan Hills.
One way to get a close-up look at the waterway is to take a walk to the confluence of the Sittaung and Khabaung rivers. It’s best to go with someone who speaks Burmese language because there are some tricky twists and turns on the way. Or, foreigners who go on their own can stop locals and ask, “Myitsone beh hma leh?” (Where is the confluence?) or “Myitsone thwa jin deh” (I would like to go to the confluence).
