Thandwe village going out to sea 

By Admin 20 Jun 2023

DMG Newsroom
20 June 2023, Sittwe

Local residents in Sin Khaung Village of Arakan State’s Thandwe Township have called on authorities to build retaining walls for their villages after more than 130 houses were eroded away by the sea.

As the village has expanded toward the Arakan coast, residents there started to face erosion in October of last year.

“We have lost over 130 houses including well-built houses in erosion. We are concerned that more households will be affected by erosion. So, there is a need to build a retaining wall with rocks,” said 100-household administrator U Tin Htay of Sin Khaung Village.

Sin Khaung Village is home to over 1,000 people from some 300 households. Villagers engage in fishing for their livelihoods.

Among the houses swallowed up by erosion were wooden houses roofed with corrugated iron sheets, and thatched houses made of bamboo, according to villagers.

As the coast is being constantly eroded by seas, villagers are concerned that more houses will be swept away by erosion.

“Now the shoreline erodes about one foot a day. Families that lost their houses in erosion have difficulties. They have nowhere else in the village to relocate, and village authorities did not grant them new land plots. My house is close to the shoreline now, and I don’t know when it will be destroyed. And I have nowhere to go,” said villager Ko Hsan Win.

Villagers said they have financial constraints to build a retaining wall funded out of their own pockets.

Some of the villagers who have lost their houses have rented land in the village, and some are living with their relatives. Most of them can’t afford to buy a land plot and build a new house.

“I have lost my house in the erosion. My income has declined while prices are soaring. I have difficulties finding a house to live in and feed my family,” said Ma Oo Hsan Htay from Sin Khaung Village.

Villagers have called on authorities to take certain action for their safety and convenience.

“Both me and my daughter have lost our houses in erosion. I have to hire a land plot measuring 30 to 20 feet for 150,000 kyats per month. I can’t even build a house as the prices of construction materials are high now. The place looks more like a pigsty. We want authorities to grant us a new land plot,” said villager U Tin Maung.

Villagers said they have reported to the township General Administration Department (GAD) about the shoreline erosion issues, but there is still no response.

DMG was unable to obtain comment from the Thandwe Township GAD.

As Arakan State is a coastal area, villages along the coast are prone to erosion every rainy season.