Dear Authors

your manuscript received three excellent reviews which all point to fundamental shortcomings. At the same time, the reviewers see potential and agree the importance of such work for Myanmar. Therefore, the editorial decision is to reconsider your manuscript for publication after major revision. I encourage the authors to focus on a regular scientific article with sound hypothesis and scientific aproach/method instead of an opinion paper. At the same time, the third reviewer highlights the importance of using existing data from Myanmar. It is acknowledged that can be difficult but some more effort to collect such information would strongly improve the value of your socio-hydrological analysis for Myanmar.

As the required revisions are quite extensive I can imagine the authors need more time for their revisions. Please contact us for extension of the deadline when needed.

Thanks for considering HESS for this publication and I look forward receiving the revised submisison.

Regards,
Thom Bogaard

Dear authors

thanks for the resubmission of your paper. Unfortunately, we have only one detailed review, which explains my delayed decision as I was hoping for another review. As reviewer #2 (report #1) states, this paper has potential and I agree with you that the publication of this overview in an open-access journal is very important for Myanmar. I really want to see this paper making it into HESS and in this way contribute to Myanmar water resources management.
However, I also agree with reviewer #2 that publication in HESS is currently not justified. It remains too descriptive for a HESS publication. Independent of the framework one chooses for describing the situation in Myanmar, the (quantitative or qualitative) description of feedbacks to the water system is what is novel, interesting and what fits in HESS. Some concrete examples of the interaction/feedbacks are also required for publication of this review. If this is not possible, then unfortunately, HESS is not the appropriate platform.

I realize this means an additional effort by the authors but I am convident the authors are able to revise their paper along these lines. I look forward to the revised submission.

Kind regards
Thom Bogaard

Dear authors

I am pleased to inform you that your paper is now accepted for publication.
I trust your paper will draw quite some attention and will stimulate further research into the hydrology and water resources of Myanmar.
I thank you for submitting this research to HESS and wish you good luck with your research.

Kind regards
Thom