Maungdaw, Arakan State: Heavy rainfall has caused flooding on the roads and areas which has cut off the communication between Maungdaw and nearby areas and towns, said an elder from Maungdaw.
“Heavy rainfall led to flooding in the Myothugyi area, and the main road of Maungdaw–Buthidaung is also going to be flooded.”
One light truck fell into a deep stream near a hillside yesterday while it passed another truck. One side of the road is full of mud. Nobody was killed, but four people were injured, said Mamoon, a driver who plies the road.
“Most of the roads are full of mud from landslides, and the vehicles are not able to go on the roads until the road department removes the mud.”
“We aren’t able to run our vehicles during the raining season on this road, and most vehicles’ owners keep their vehicles in garages.”
Similarly, the Maungdaw-Kyichaung road was recently blocked, and the ends of some bridges were eroded, which made the road impassable for vehicles. A bridge of three miles, which was repaired earlier this year, became eroded and was totally cut off from the road, said an officer from the three-mile gate.
“All the bridges on the way of Maungdaw–Alaythankyaw and Maungdaw–Kyichanug are very weak, and they may fall down at any time. This is why most vehicles are not running in the rainy season.”
Maungdaw is the last border town of the western side of Burma. It only has motor roads to connect it to other towns and its rural areas. It is very dangerous in the rainy season. The authorities have not made any improvements on the main road of Maungdaw–Buthidaung. Every year, the road is blocked by landslides and damaged bridges in the rainy season.
