2-7-2024 (YANGON) Severe flooding in northern Myanmar’s Kachin state has left thousands of residents trapped in their homes, cut off electricity and phone lines, and sparked concerns of impending humanitarian crises. This unfolding emergency was reported on Tuesday (Jul 2) by local residents and media outlets, as the state weather office issued warnings of more heavy rainfall on the horizon.
After days of relentless downpours in Myitkyina, the capital city of Kachin state, the Ayeyarwady River has swelled beyond its “danger level,” according to state media reports. Harrowing images circulating on local media platforms depict inundated buildings and desperate residents wading through neck-high waters, carrying their belongings overhead.
“Water has been rising very quickly. Many residents are still stuck in their houses,” a Myitkyina resident told AFP, adding that electricity and phone networks had been down since Sunday, compounding the crisis. “There has been a fuel shortage in town, and rescuers are facing a lot of difficulties with reaching people by motor boat.”
Another resident of Myitkyina described the harrowing situation, with the lower floor of her house submerged, forcing her to seek shelter with neighbours until rescue teams could reach them. Despite a slight receding of floodwaters on Tuesday morning, the rain continued to pour, exacerbating the already precarious conditions.
Local media reports indicate that the floodwaters have trapped thousands of people in their homes, prompting the state weather office to issue warnings of more heavy rain in the coming days. The impending downpours raise grave concerns about the potential for further flooding and displacement, stretching already strained emergency response resources to their limits.
The impact of the floods extends far beyond Myitkyina, with the state weather office cautioning that the Ayeyarwady River could rise by six to ten feet in the second city of Mandalay during the first ten days of July, posing a significant threat to the region’s low-lying areas.
The ongoing deluge comes just weeks after Myanmar endured a record-setting heatwave, with temperatures soaring to a scorching 48 degrees Celsius in some areas. This extreme weather pattern underscores the nation’s vulnerability to the intensifying effects of climate change, which scientists warn is making weather patterns more intense and unpredictable.
