Maungdaw villagers face travel trouble as floods destroy two key bridges

By Admin 12 Aug 2023

DMG Newsroom
12 August 2023, Maungdaw

Locals want two collapsed bridges on the Maungdaw-Kyeinchaung-Bandoola road in northern Maungdaw Township, Arakan State, to be repaired as soon as possible.

The Letyarchaung Bridge, measuring 160 feet in length and 12 feet in width near Thittonenarkhwasone Village, and the Marzee Bridge, at 200 feet long and 12 feet wide near Barbaung Village, were damaged due to heavy downpours and flooding triggered by torrential rains over the past few days.

“We cannot go to Bandoola Village due to the bridge collapse,” said U Aung Gyi, a truck driver from Wetkyein Village. “I want to transport betel nuts to Bandoola Village. The bridge is yet to be repaired, so betel nuts are stored in the vehicle. I have been waiting for five days.”

These bridges are mainly used by local residents from about 50 villages in the Arakan State-Bangladesh border area for social, health and economic purposes.

“Locals face various hardships due to bridge collapses. In the case of an emergency, locals cannot go to downtown Maungdaw,” said U Aung Hla, a local man from Thittonenarkhwasone Village.

Maungdaw District Department of Bridge officials visited the damaged bridges on August 10 and told residents that they would repair them as soon as possible. DMG continues to attempt to contact an official from the Maungdaw District Department of Bridge regarding the matter.

Nearly 7,000 people in Arakan State’s Kyauktaw, Mrauk-U, Minbya, Buthidaung and Maungdaw townships have reportedly evacuated their homes temporarily due to continuous rains and high tides.

Flooding has forced the closures of more than 100 schools in Kyauktaw, Mrauk-U, Minbya, Maungdaw and Buthidaung townships, and destroyed hundreds of drinking water ponds.