Flooding uproots thousands in Arakan State

08 Aug 2023

DMG Newsroom 8 August 2023, Maungdaw

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.

More than 2,500 people each from Mrauk-U and Kyauktaw, and 1,500 from Buthidaung and Maungdaw townships, have moved to safer locations, according to figures compiled by DMG.

Over 1,000 people from the Myatanzaung displacement camp in Mrauk-U were evacuated to religious buildings and monasteries, and evacuees are in need of food items, said the abbot of the Myatanzaung Monastery.

“IDPs were evacuated to the monastery as their shelters located in low-lying areas were flooded. As IDPs rely on food supplies provided by the World Food Programme (WFP), they currently face livelihood hardships. IDPs cannot work as their shelters are submerged by floodwaters,” the abbot added.

A total of 1,116 IDPs from the Myatanzaung displacement camp and 103 people from Seikcha Ward were relocated to their relatives or other alternative spaces, according to a list compiled by Mrauk-U Fire Services Department.

Some residents from 30 villages along the banks of the Laymyo River in Mrauk-U Township have also been forced to move to higher ground due to the collapse of riverbanks and rising river waters.

As many as 2,500 people in Mrauk-U Township have relocated to safer places due to the flooding, according to local social organisations.

At least 1,000 locals from 20 villages in Minbya Township have moved to safer locations temporarily and are facing food shortages, residents said.

“The water has risen to about 6 feet. Food shortages are reported due to road blockages triggered by heavy rains since August 4,” said U Nyo Maung Thein, the administrator of Shwekyan Village.

At least 30 villages in Kyauktaw Township have been inundated by floodwaters and over 1,000 local people were evacuated temporarily, said Ko Nyi Pu, chairman of Phyusin Myitta, a local charity in Kyauktaw.

“Some 500 IDPs from the Nyaungchaung displacement camp and over 60 people from Sabarseik Village were relocated to safer locations temporarily. It is still in a critical condition because it is raining heavily and the water has not completely receded,” he added.

Some 50 households from Muchaung Village, around 1,100 people from Kyauktalone Village and hundreds of residents from Yoechaung Village in Kyauktaw Township are reportedly relocating to safer places as well.

“We do not yet know the exact number of evacuees in the flooded townships. Firefighters are evacuating people in the flooded townships,” said U Than Htike, head of the Arakan State Fire Services Department.

Strong monsoon conditions in the Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal have brought heavy rainfall to some parts of Arakan State, according to a statement from the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology on August 8.

According to the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology, occasional squalls are expected along and off the coast of Arakan State, with wind speeds reaching up to 40 miles per hour.