Seaside Pauktaw Twsp village faces long road to recovery in cyclone’s aftermath

By Admin 13 Jun 2023

DMG Newsroom
13 June 2023, Pauktaw

Thaekhon Village in Arakan State’s Pauktaw Township was virtually flattened by Cyclone Mocha, and villagers are still struggling to rebuild their homes.

The fishing village along the coast of the Bay of Bengal is home to around 2,000 people. Nearly 420 houses out of about 450 in the village were destroyed by Cyclone Mocha, which made landfall over Arakan State on May 14.

Nearly one month after the storm, most locals still cannot return to their primary source of livelihood, fishing,  as many fishing boats and nets were also swept away by the storm surge.

“Nothing was left, so the whole village still can’t fish. We are going hungry,” said villager Daw Khin Khin Thein.

Villagers have been forced to rely on food and drinking water donated by rescue teams and donors. Most Thae Khon Village residents are currently living in makeshift tents using tarpaulin sheets as roofing.

Fisherman U Hla Sein Tun from Thae Khon Village said the villagers had lost fishing gear that it had taken years of savings to accumulate. 

“I don’t know how long it will take if we collect fishing equipment again starting from now,” he said.

The villagers have called on authorities and social organisations to provide assistance.

“Even if donors can’t provide supplies for free, it would be good if we could get loans. We can’t resume fishing on our own,” said local resident U Kyaw Thaung.

As Arakan State is a coastal region, many residents engage in fishing for their livelihoods.