Flooding displaces more than 2,500

13 Jul 2019

Aung Htein and Win Nyunt | DMG

July 13, Sittwe

More than 2,500 people from Kyauktaw, Mrauk-U and Minbya townships have been forced to leave their homes to escape flooding, U Ye Min Oo, a staff officer of the State Natural Disaster Management, told DMG on July 13. 

Nearly all of Minbya township have been inundated with water, while about 50 village tracts in Kyauktaw and 10 villages in Mrauk-U, including Sin Baw Kaing, Mya Ta Saung and Tin Nyo IDP camps, have been affected by flooding. 

“We can say the whole township of Minbya is flooded. More than 200,000 people live in Minbya,” said U Hla Thein Aung, an Arakan State Hluttaw member from Minbya. 

Mrauk-U State Hluttaw representative U Tun Thar Sein said that more than 10,000 people in 10 villages have been affected in the township. The flooding has damaged houses and residents are facing difficulties finding food, clothing and accommodations. 

Director Khaing Kaung San of Wan Lark Foundation told DMG that the Arakan State government has a special budget for natural disasters and now was the right time to use the budget. 

“If this flood keeps going, it will be 2015 all over again, and people could face even worse problems, such as health issues,” he said.

He urged the State government to cooperate not only with CSOs but also with the international donor organizations when trying to solve the problems.

However, U Sit Naing, who represents Minbya in the Pyithu Hluttaw, told DMG that those affected by flooding haven’t received any official assistance from the government. 

U Ye Min Oo said that the government will provide them with food and also help to rebuild houses that have been damaged by flooding.