Karenni IDPs suffer illnesses as temperatures rise and water runs short

By Admin 23 Apr 2023

DMG Newsroom
23 April 2023, Loikaw, Kayah State

Internally displaced people (IDPs) in the townships of Demoso, Loikaw and Hpruso in Kayah State are suffering from illnesses such as fever, rash and loose stools due to rising temperatures and drinking water scarcity, according to relief workers.

About 150,000 IDPs from around 200 displacement camps in Demoso, Loikaw and Hpruso townships, which have the largest number of IDPs, are suffering amid hot weather, said an official from Freelance Volunteer Myanmar.

“Thousands of IDPs from around 200 displacement camps in Kayah State are suffering from extreme, hot weather. Some IDPs became sick and fainted more due to the hot weather. It is convenient for us to transport drinking water using tankers [instead of on foot] as Kayah State is a hilly area. It is hard for IDPs to get drinking water,” he added.

The Department of Meteorology and Hydrology reported that the temperature in Loikaw town has reached as high as 38 degrees Celsius, while the temperature has risen from 36 degrees Celsius to around 42 degrees Celsius in Demoso and Hpruso.

The Daw Noh Ku IDP camp on the Thai-Myanmar border, which is home to more than 4,000 IDPs, provides healthcare services to at least 20 people daily, according to a camp medical official.

“Among the displacement camps in Kayah State, Daw Noh Ku IDP camp is the worst affected by the lack of water and health conditions. Daw Noh Ku IDP camp is located on the Thai-Myanmar border, so drinking water is scarce. The drinking water is not clean, so the IDPs get diarrhoea. Elderly people are also prone to fainting because they suffer in the heat,” the health official explained.

Children and the elderly are among the IDPs in Kayah State suffering from headaches and sores due to the rising temperatures, but there is not enough medicine to treat them, according to healthcare workers.

“Although mobile clinics have been opened to provide medical treatment to IDPs, there are not enough medicines anymore. So IDPs need a lot of medical aid,” said a health worker.

Illness has become more common in the past 10 days, and IDPs say hygiene has weakened due to the lack of water.

Currently, temporary ponds are being made with tarpaulin for displacement camps suffering from water scarcity, but there is still a need for assistance.

“We have made 30 temporary ponds. Tarpaulins are urgently needed to make more temporary ponds for IDPs. We would like to urge donors to donate fuel for water tankers. Donors are requested to contact us for their contributions,” said an official from the Karenni State IDP Assistance Network.

More than 200,000 people have been displaced by fighting between the Myanmar military and a coalition led by Karenni Nationalities Defence Force (KNDF) and local anti-regime forces in Kayah State since the February 1, 2021, coup, according to Karenni Human Rights Group.