Over 7,000 people affected by flood in Myawaddy

By DMG 23 May 2022

DMG Newsroom
23 May 2022, Myawaddy 

More than 7,000 residents and internally displaced people (IDPs) from displacement camps in Kayin (Karen) State’s Myawaddy were affected by flooding after the Moei River, which separates Myanmar and Thailand, burst its banks over the weekend, according to local charities. 

The river swelled due to heavy rains on Saturday, flooding ward Nos. 1, 2, 4 and 5 in low-lying areas of Myawaddy, according to a charity worker. 

“The river overflowed after the rain came down in torrents. Four wards in low-lying areas were flooded,” he said. 

A total of 1,068 people from 309 households were evacuated to a nearby school, a monastery and a religious hall, according to charities. The flood victims are in urgent need of relief supplies. 

“It is normal that the Moei River rises and the riverbank erodes with heavy rains. Normally it happens two months into the rainy season. But this year, it happened early. And it caused serious damage,” said a Myawaddy resident. 

Some 6,000 IDPs from displacement camps near the Moei River were evacuated due to flooding, and are in need of shelters and clothes, said volunteers helping the affected IDPs. 

“Because it rained continuously for a few days and the river was swollen, banks eroded. All the IDP camps close to the river had to be relocated. For now, they urgently need shelter and clothes, though we can arrange simple food for them,” said one charity worker. 

By noon on Monday, Moei River water levels had fallen back below danger levels by more than 100 centimetres, the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology announced. 

The department has warned about the likelihood of heavy rains and strong winds, along with the possibility of flash flooding and landslides, in seven of Myanmar’s regions and states including Karen and Mon states, and Tanintharyi Region, due to robust monsoon weather patterns off the Myanmar coast.