11-8-2023 (YANGON) Floods and landslides triggered by monsoon rains have resulted in the loss of five lives and the evacuation of approximately 40,000 people in Myanmar, as confirmed by officials on Friday.
Recent footage from Rakhine state, which had previously suffered the destructive impact of Cyclone Mocha in May, revealed vast areas of villages and farmland submerged beneath murky yellow-brown waters.
While Myanmar experiences heavy rains during this time each year, the world has witnessed an escalation of extreme weather events in recent weeks, a phenomenon scientists attribute to the exacerbating effects of climate change.
The Director of Myanmar’s Social Welfare, Relief, and Resettlement Ministry, Lay Shwe Zin Oo, informed AFP that five individuals have lost their lives to the disaster. Moreover, she stated that over 37,000 people have already been evacuated across Myanmar, with the number expected to exceed 40,000 by Friday.
“Our department is providing necessary assistance to households relocated to temporary camps,” Lay Shwe Zin Oo added.
The flooding began in late July and has affected nine states and regions within the country, including Rakhine, Kachin, Karen, Mon, and Chin. In Karen state, a landslide has resulted in the severing of a vital highway that connects a border town with Thailand. The junta estimates that it may take up to a month to construct a temporary bridge in order to restore the connectivity.
Myanmar is currently embroiled in a violent civil conflict between the military junta, which seized power through a coup in February 2021, and civilian militias opposing its rule.
According to a local monitoring group, the number of casualties since the coup has exceeded 3,800, while the junta reports a figure of 5,000 fatalities.
The United Nations (UN) has strongly criticized the junta’s handling of the aftermath of Cyclone Mocha, which claimed the lives of at least 148 people and caused extensive damage to homes.
The UN condemned the junta’s refusal to grant access to aid workers in the affected region, leading state media to accuse the global body of displaying “arrogance, ignorance, and self-interest”.
