Thousands of paddy acres flooded in Kyauktaw Twsp

By Admin 01 Aug 2024

DMG Newsroom
1 August 2024, Kyauktaw

Thousands of acres of farmland in villages such as Kansauk, Panphechaung and Chaungtu in the Yoe Creek area, part of Arakan State’s Kyauktaw Township, have been inundated by floodwaters, according to residents.

Some villages in the vicinity of Yoe Creek have been submerged by floodwaters since the third week of July, said a resident of Panphechaung Village.

“Our farmlands have been flooded since one week ago. The rain was so heavy that the water did not recede at all. As of this morning, water has already entered the village,” the Panphechaung Village resident explained.

More than 1,000 acres of farmland in villages such as Kansauk, Panphechaung and Chaungtu have been flooded, according to local farmers.

Hundreds of acres of farmlands along the Kyauktaw-Mrauk-U road have also been flooded following heavy rains in the area.

“I went to Kyauktaw from Mrauk-U and saw several acres of farmland near Mahamuni Pagoda in Kyauktaw were inundated by floodwaters,” said a resident of Kyauktaw.

Flooding in Arakan State in July of last year destroyed many acres of farmland in Kyauktaw Township.

It is not yet known whether this year’s flooding will affect the harvest, but if there is crop damage, farmers said that it will not be easy to replant.

“All the farmlands are flooded, so we are very worried that the paddy fields will be damaged. This year, we have spent all our money to cultivate the paddy. If paddy plants die due to the floodwaters, it will be impossible for us to replant paddy,” said another farmer from Panphechaung Village.

The price of fertiliser has increased from over K300,000 last year to K500,000 this year, while a barrel of diesel has increased to K3 million in Arakan State.

The prices of most goods have increased dramatically as the regime has blocked off trade routes to Arakan State since the latest fighting broke out in November 2023.

Cultivated acreage out of about 1 million acres of arable farmland in Arakan State may be reduced by half due to the soaring cost of agricultural inputs such as fertiliser and fuel, organisations involved in farmers’ affairs have estimated.