Cattle swept away by floodwaters in Arakan State’s Mrauk-U Twsp

By Admin 09 Aug 2023

DMG Newsroom
9 August 2023, Mrauk-U

More than 100 cattle in Mrauk-U Township have reportedly been swept away by floodwaters caused by heavy rains in Arakan State.

About 40 cattle each from Layhnyitaung and Hsinohchay villages and 30 cattle from Nyaungbinhla Village were swept away, according to figures collected by the village administrators.

“The cattle were gathered on a small island, but all cattle were swept away by floodwaters. Some cattle were found alive. Now the water has receded,” said U Saw Than, the administrator of Layhnyintaung Village.

The Laymyo River surged with heavy rains on the night of August 6, leaving about 500 cattle in a herd on Byokechaung Island in the middle of the river. About 200 cattle were washed away in floodwaters.

On August 9, local residents searched for the missing cattle in boats after the river’s water level went down. About 100 cattle were found in some tributaries in Minbya Township, but the remaining 100 are still missing.

“Some cattle have injuries. The cattle must have been washed away by the water and collided with the logs. The rest of the cattle could not be found. Some cattle were found alive,” said U Aung Kyaw Hla, the administrator of Nyaungbinhla Village.

The Department of Meteorology and Hydrology announced on the afternoon of August 7 that the water level of the Laymyo River was 810 cm in Mrauk-U Township. The water level of the River was about 3 feet below its danger level in Mrauk-U at 7:30 a.m. on August 8, and the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology estimated that it could reach its danger level within the next day.

“We sell cattle if we need capital. When ploughing with a tractor, even if the tractor breaks down, you have to use cattle. We have yet to grow monsoon paddy. We face difficulties because our cattle were washed away in floodwaters,” said Ma Yi Yi Kyaw, a local woman from Hsinohchay Village who lost five cows.

Nearly 7,000 people in Arakan State’s Kyauktaw, Mrauk-U, Minbya, Buthidaung and Maungdaw townships have reportedly evacuated their homes temporarily due to continuous rains and high tides.
A total of 15,388 cattle were killed by Cyclone Mocha across Arakan State, according to the Cyclone Mocha Emergency Rescue and Rehabilitation Committee for Arakan (Cyclone Mocha ERRCA), formed by the Arakan Army (AA).