Conflict-related power cuts take toll on Arakan State 

By Admin 22 Jun 2024

DMG Newsroom
22 June 2024, Sittwe

Since the end of last year, electricity has been cut off or limited in almost every township in Arakan State due to the intensifying military conflict between Myanmar’s military regime and the Arakkha Army (AA), negatively impacting the socio-economic lives of hundreds of thousands of residents.

Electricity supply was variously cut off in Sittwe, Pauktaw, Ponnagyun, Rathedaung, Maungdaw, Buthidaung, Kyauktaw, Mrauk-U, Minbya, Myebon, Thandwe, Taungup and Ramree townships and electricity is supplied only to downtown areas in Ann, Gwa and Kyaukphyu townships.

“Electricity is out, so everything is difficult for us. We have trouble cooking. At night, we exist without lights. A candle costs almost a thousand kyat,” said a local woman in Thandwe Township.

Electricity supply has been increasingly erratic since the start of the AA’s battles for control of towns in northern Arakan State, and with the intensity of the fighting in Thandwe, the regime has cut off electricity there since the third week of May, residents said.

Electricity is supplied to Taungup and Thandwe townships from a sub-power station in Taungup. A sub-power station in Kyaukphyu supplies power to Kyaukphyu and Ramree townships and another sub-power station distributes electricity to Ann Township.

A sub-power station in Ponnagyun supplies electricity to the entire northern Arakan State including Sittwe. Power outages followed after the sub-power station was badly damaged by junta shellings and airstrikes during the battle for control of Ponnagyun.

Due to the power outages, factories such as rice mills and ice machines cannot operate, and the working classes who depend on the factories for their livelihoods are facing difficulties.

“I made a living as a cargo worker at a rice mill in the past. I became unemployed as the rice mill halted operations. Now, we need to spend more money as we have to buy charcoal. We are struggling to make ends meet due to rising commodity prices,” said a resident in Kyauktaw.

Local residents are suffering from an accumulation of hurdles including roadblocks, phone and internet access blackouts and the power outages stemming from the regime-AA conflict in Arakan State.