Six people—three men, two women and a child—were killed in Bawbada, located about 5 miles from Mogok, on August 16, after their home was swept away by a landslide, according to Mogok resident Hla Oo.
Hla Oo said it has been raining almost continuously for three months in Mogok—known as the ruby capital of the world—and there is still no sign of it abating.
In June, at least eleven people in Mogok were killed following flooding and landslides.
Meanwhile, torrential rain which started in early August has flooded at least 25 wards and villages in Pegu Division, forcing about three thousands residents to flee the area, according to residents of Pegu, located about 105 miles from Rangoon.
Heavy rain also damaged thousands of acres of paddy fields and some fields are still flooded, said local residents. Flooded regions included Pyuntansa, Shwegyin and Madauk, all in Pegu Division.
Pe Pe, a resident of Pegu, the capital of Pegu Division, said local authorities had opened temporary rescue shelters for flood victims at schools and monasteries. Authorities and volunteer donors, including monks, are now providing food to the refugees, she said.
She added that the rain has now stopped in the area, and some residents were returning to their homes.
A police officer in Pegu who refused to be named said they established about 19 temporary rescue camps and have provided packages of rice to refugees. He said that the situation is now returning to normal and people are starting to return. He also claimed the flooding had no impact on paddy fields.
In Pyuntansa, Shwegyin and Madauk, however, the rain has not stopped and floodwaters have not subsided. Local residents said they haven’t received any assistance from the authorities. Shwegyin and Madaunk are totally flooded and people have to use boats to get around, said residents.
Chit Thar, a resident of Pyuntansa, said authorities had ignored requests for help.
“I told the Ward Peace and Development Council that we [farmers] couldn’t find paddy seeds. I asked them to sell paddy seeds to us, but they said they couldn’t,” she said.
Meanwhile, rising water levels on the Irrawaddy River have alarmed residents of Nyaungdon Township in Irrawaddy Division, who say they are worried about the possible collapse of a dam located near the village of Kachaung.
If the dam collapses, the towns of Nyaungdon, Maubin, and Twante could be flooded, said residents. The authorities have not given any warning of this threat to people in the area.
Last Saturday, the state-run Myanma Ahlin newspaper reported that the floods hit areas of Rangoon and the Irrawaddy delta, where Cyclone Nargis left a swathe of devastation in early May, as well as other regions of the country. No casualties were reported.
Hla Oo said it has been raining almost continuously for three months in Mogok—known as the ruby capital of the world—and there is still no sign of it abating.
In June, at least eleven people in Mogok were killed following flooding and landslides.
Meanwhile, torrential rain which started in early August has flooded at least 25 wards and villages in Pegu Division, forcing about three thousands residents to flee the area, according to residents of Pegu, located about 105 miles from Rangoon.
Heavy rain also damaged thousands of acres of paddy fields and some fields are still flooded, said local residents. Flooded regions included Pyuntansa, Shwegyin and Madauk, all in Pegu Division.
Pe Pe, a resident of Pegu, the capital of Pegu Division, said local authorities had opened temporary rescue shelters for flood victims at schools and monasteries. Authorities and volunteer donors, including monks, are now providing food to the refugees, she said.
She added that the rain has now stopped in the area, and some residents were returning to their homes.
A police officer in Pegu who refused to be named said they established about 19 temporary rescue camps and have provided packages of rice to refugees. He said that the situation is now returning to normal and people are starting to return. He also claimed the flooding had no impact on paddy fields.
In Pyuntansa, Shwegyin and Madauk, however, the rain has not stopped and floodwaters have not subsided. Local residents said they haven’t received any assistance from the authorities. Shwegyin and Madaunk are totally flooded and people have to use boats to get around, said residents.
Chit Thar, a resident of Pyuntansa, said authorities had ignored requests for help.
“I told the Ward Peace and Development Council that we [farmers] couldn’t find paddy seeds. I asked them to sell paddy seeds to us, but they said they couldn’t,” she said.
Meanwhile, rising water levels on the Irrawaddy River have alarmed residents of Nyaungdon Township in Irrawaddy Division, who say they are worried about the possible collapse of a dam located near the village of Kachaung.
If the dam collapses, the towns of Nyaungdon, Maubin, and Twante could be flooded, said residents. The authorities have not given any warning of this threat to people in the area.
Last Saturday, the state-run Myanma Ahlin newspaper reported that the floods hit areas of Rangoon and the Irrawaddy delta, where Cyclone Nargis left a swathe of devastation in early May, as well as other regions of the country. No casualties were reported.
UN envoy tours Myanmar
A Myanmar official said Gambari traveled to Kungyangone township, south of the main city Yangon, to witness the recovery from Cyclone Nargis, which left 138,000 dead or missing in early May.
He had planned to travel by helicopter into more remote regions of the Irrawaddy Delta, the key rice-growing region that bore the brunt of the storm, the official said.
But the flight was cancelled due to heavy rains this week, which have compounded the struggles of 2.4 million cyclone survivors, many of whom remain without permanent shelters.
Gambari was later expected to meet Information Minister Kyaw Hsan in Yangon.
It is Gambari's first visit since the cyclone hit, and comes exactly a year after anti-government protests broke out, sparked by an overnight hike in fuel prices that left many people unable to afford even a bus fare to work.
The former student leaders who led the protest were arrested days later and remain in prison. Buddhist monks began leading the rallies in September but were brutally suppressed by the military.
Gambari's visit aims to restart a political dialogue with the opposition in the military-ruled country that was put on hold when the cyclone hit, and to allow for greater humanitarian access to the disaster victims.
Myanmar has been ruled by the military since 1962. The opposition National League for Democracy led by Aung San Suu Kyi won a landslide victory in 1990 elections, but the junta never allowed them to take office.
UN officials described Gambari's last visit to Myanmar in March as "disappointing," after the junta publicly rebuffed his calls for political reform and rejected his offer to send election monitors for a referendum that approved a new constitution in May.
Gambari met Monday with Myanmar Foreign Minister Nyan Win, state media said, as well as foreign diplomats, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and a special panel overseeing the aid effort for victims of Cyclone Nargis
He had planned to travel by helicopter into more remote regions of the Irrawaddy Delta, the key rice-growing region that bore the brunt of the storm, the official said.
But the flight was cancelled due to heavy rains this week, which have compounded the struggles of 2.4 million cyclone survivors, many of whom remain without permanent shelters.
Gambari was later expected to meet Information Minister Kyaw Hsan in Yangon.
It is Gambari's first visit since the cyclone hit, and comes exactly a year after anti-government protests broke out, sparked by an overnight hike in fuel prices that left many people unable to afford even a bus fare to work.
The former student leaders who led the protest were arrested days later and remain in prison. Buddhist monks began leading the rallies in September but were brutally suppressed by the military.
Gambari's visit aims to restart a political dialogue with the opposition in the military-ruled country that was put on hold when the cyclone hit, and to allow for greater humanitarian access to the disaster victims.
Myanmar has been ruled by the military since 1962. The opposition National League for Democracy led by Aung San Suu Kyi won a landslide victory in 1990 elections, but the junta never allowed them to take office.
UN officials described Gambari's last visit to Myanmar in March as "disappointing," after the junta publicly rebuffed his calls for political reform and rejected his offer to send election monitors for a referendum that approved a new constitution in May.
Gambari met Monday with Myanmar Foreign Minister Nyan Win, state media said, as well as foreign diplomats, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and a special panel overseeing the aid effort for victims of Cyclone Nargis
No comments:
Post a Comment