Dala Township

Dala or Dalla Township is located on the southern bank of Yangon river across from downtown Yangon, Myanmar. The township, made up of 23 wards and 23 village tracks, is bounded by the Yangon River in the north and east, the Twante Canal in the west, and Twante Township in the south. The township's northern portion, the former town of Dala comprising an area of is within the jurisdiction of Yangon city's government the Yangon City Development Committee.

History

In 1805, Alaungpaya's fourth son King Bodawpaya appointed Htaw Lay as the governor of Dala.
During the colonial era, Dala was the site of the major shipyard of the Irrawaddy Flotilla Company.

Contemporary

Despite its strategic location near Yangon, the township is still largely rural and undeveloped mainly because it still lacks a bridge across the Yangon River, with connections between the township and the city being by ferry only. A bridge project was announced for 2017, with an MOU signed with a Korean company, however, no building work had begun by June 2019. Dala has 30 primary schools and two high schools.
Due to its unique geography and relative location with Yangon, Dala is one of the few townships in the country who has a higher urban population than a rural population without being fully part of a city. In 2023, Dala Township as a whole had 182,713 people in the township. The northern portion, which is included in Yangon city, has 70.0% of the population with 127,918 people in 2023.