The Covid-19 Omicron subvariant XBB.1.16 has been reported in Myanmar, which has seen an uptick in coronavirus infections and 235 cases reported over the past week, according to the junta’s Health Ministry.

Demand for rechargeable fans and solar-powered household items has increased in Arakan State lately due to high temperatures accompanied by daily power outages.

Goods produced in Arakan State account for 30 percent of Myanmar’s exports to Bangladesh, which shares a border with Arakan State, according to officials from the border trade zone and merchants.  

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.

A one-way traffic scheme will reportedly be introduced to address frequent traffic jams blamed on neighbourhoods with narrow roads in Arakan State’s Pauktaw.

Not only urban wards in those townships but also rural villages are grappling with serious drinking water shortages.

An elderly person fainted and died amid high temperatures in Arakan State’s Mrauk-U Township on Saturday morning, according to family members.

Junta spokesman Major-General Zaw Min Tun said the regime still can’t increase the pay for civil servants due to financial constraints.

Groundnut growers in Arakan State say their profits are down due to high agricultural expenditures this year, despite the fact that the nuts are fetching good prices.

Seven signatories to the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) have condemned junta airstrikes on Pazigyi Village in Sagaing Region’s Kanbalu Township on April 11, which killed more than 180 people.

The junta-appointed Union Election Commission (UEC) has begun scrutinising political parties that have registered for the junta’s planned election to determine if they are in line with the new Political Parties Registration Law.

Clams appear to be dying en masse in Ann Township, Arakan State, with the dead mollusks reported on the shores of rivers and creeks in the area, according to residents.

Dozens of undocumented Muslims and human traffickers were reportedly arrested by the Myanmar Navy off the coast of Ngapudaw Township, Ayeyarwady Region.

The Department of Fisheries issued a warning on April 19 prohibiting the catching of large freshwater shrimp during the rainy season, covering April, May and June.

The plaintiff in the case against two village administrators from Buthidaung Township under Section 17(1) of Unlawful Association has failed to appear at court hearings for nearly five months, according to family members of the accused.

The Department of Rural Development (DRD) has yet to implement a plan to build free homes in some Sittwe Township villages for poor people affected by natural disasters and facing financial difficulties.

Muslim internally displaced people (IDPs) from the Kyauktalone IDP camp in Arakan State’s Kyaukphyu Township will be relocated to a new encampment starting on April 23, according to camp officials.

The Arakan State military council has guaranteed that there won’t be water shortages in Sittwe, which faces water shortages annually during the hot season, but residents said they still have to buy water due to the inadequacy of the piped supply. 

Though junta boss Min Aung Hlaing last year promised K10 billion worth of loans from a national economic development fund for Arakan State business owners, more than four months later the loans have yet to be disbursed.