Diarrhoea outbreaks reported in Sittwe

By Admin 19 May 2023

DMG Newsroom
19 May 2023, Sittwe

Diarrhoea outbreaks have been reported in some parts of Sittwe in the aftermath of Cyclone Mocha as desperate residents have been left with little choice but to drink contaminated water.

Wells and lakes that serve as sources of drinking water in some Sittwe wards were contaminated by floodwaters during the storm. But with few alternatives available for the moment, locals have been drinking the unclean water and suffering the consequences.

“My children are suffering from diarrhoea after they drank water from an artesian well. They also vomit, apart from diarrhoea. Bottled water trucks do not come to our ward,” said Daw Soe Soe Myint from Sittwe’s Mingan Ward (9).

Boiling water has been difficult for many, meanwhile, because electricity is out or unreliable across a large swath of cyclone-hit Arakan State.

Many buildings including houses, schools, hospitals, and departmental offices were damaged by Cyclone Mocha, which made landfall near Sittwe on Sunday. Multiple purified water bottling plants in Sittwe still cannot resume operations as they were damaged in the storm, exacerbating the water shortages facing some wards.

Cases of diarrhoea are concentrated in 13 Sittwe wards, from Mingan (5) to Mingan (17), according to residents of the Arakan State capital.

“We can’t buy bottled water anywhere,” said Daw Phyu Phyu Hlaing from Mingan (9) Ward. “Bottled water trucks do not come to our wards. After my family members started to suffer from diarrhoea, I went to buy bottled water at the plant. They only sold me one 20-litre bottle, after several requests. The bottle didn’t last for long. Then, we were forced to drink unclean water, and all of us are having diarrhoea now.”

A social activist in Arakan State has called on the regime to provide drinking water and healthcare services for people affected by the storm as expeditiously as possible.

“Those holding power have full responsibility to provide emergency healthcare services for the people affected by the cyclone. It is not OK for people to need to help each other. Everyone has their own troubles,” he said.

Hundreds of people and thousands of cattle were killed by Cyclone Mocha across the Arakan State townships of Sittwe, Ponnagyun, Rathedaung, Maungdaw, Buthidaung, Kyauktaw, Mrauk-U and Pauktaw, and numerous buildings including homes were damaged or destroyed.