Flooding closes Mrauk-Sittwe Highway causing chaos

14 Jul 2019

Soe Aung | DMG

July 14, Sittwe

Days of heavy rain in Arakan State has left the Mrauk U-Sittwe Highway flooded and created transportation difficulties for residents. 

“As the transportation is difficult, people face business and financial problems. I work in Kyauktaw and it took two days to do a practical assignment at Sittwe University. Now the buses haven’t been able to operate because of the flooding so it has caused a big problem for me to go back to work,” Sittwe University student Ko Than Naing said.

Ko Chan Thar, who runs a bus service on the Mrauk U-Sittwe Highway, said all passenger services have been forced to stop because the highway is under three feet of water near Wah Taung village.

“Not a single car can drive on the flooded road. It’s impossible to go on the Mrauk U-Kyauktaw-Sittwe road. It is causing big problems for people who need to travel to get medical treatment,” he said.

Flooding has affected dozens of villages in Mrauk-U, Minbya and Kyauktaw townships and residents have been forced to seek shelter in monasteries. There are over 100,000 residents and war refuges now affected by recent flooding in those townships according to the local CBOs and Members of Parliament (MPs).