MANDALAY (UCAN): Nearly a week of heavy rain triggered flooding in northern and central Myanmar, impacting hundreds of people already reeling from ongoing civil war and a recent deadly earthquake.
Extensive flooding has affected Sagaing region and Kachin state, both areas among the worst-hit by conflict between the military junta and rebel forces, Fides reported on June 2.
The flooding further complicated the lives of people already suffering due to the conflict and the aftermath of the March 28 earthquake, the report said [Sunday Examiner, March 31].
The earthquake wreaked havoc in the Sagaing-Mandalay region, Shan state, and the national capital, Nay Pyi Taw, leaving at least 3,800 people dead, thousands injured, and tens of thousands displaced, according to charity groups.
Many people are still living in makeshift shelters and relying on aid for survival, according to reports.
River levels usually rise in late June or July, at the height of the rainy season, but this year the rains have arrived early, causing premature flooding. Unfortunately, this is the harvest season, so the losses are particularly severe
“Floods have inundated the upper part of Kachin State; villages in the mountainous areas are underwater, as are refugee camps in the city of Chizaw,” an unnamed local source told the agency.
Many rivers, such as the Malikha, have overflowed, and agricultural lands are completely flooded due to the continuous rains, the source said.
In Leshi township, in the Sagaing region, farms and villages along the bank of the Arayati river have submerged, the source said.
“River levels usually rise in late June or July, at the height of the rainy season, but this year the rains have arrived early, causing premature flooding. Unfortunately, this is the harvest season, so the losses are particularly severe,” the source explained.
The natural disaster makes it extremely difficult for people to cope, as most farmers have already been affected by war and earthquakes.
“Humanitarian aid is increasingly needed for thousands of displaced people, whose number continues to grow,” the source added.
Humanitarian aid is increasingly needed for thousands of displaced people, whose number continues to grow
In a new report, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said Myanmar faces a worsening humanitarian crisis fuelled by military violence and economic collapse.
The document, which will be presented at the next session of the UN Human Rights Council in early July, describes the situation as “increasingly catastrophic, marked by incessant atrocities that have affected all aspects of life.”
According to the report, the economic crisis has had a severe impact on already disastrous humanitarian conditions.
Myanmar is estimated to have lost around US$94 billion since the 2021 military coup, and its gross domestic product is not expected to return to pre-2021 levels before 2028, even if recovery were to begin today, it noted.
The UN Human Rights Council calls for “a multifaceted response to the crisis,” including “urgent humanitarian support, cross-border assistance for displaced populations, and increased political commitment” from the international community.
Flooding killed more than 300 people in Myanmar last year, reports say.
