Thousands of paddy farms in Arakan State were damaged in a tidal surge after a storm brought along heavy rain across the state in the last few days, sources said.

"At least 20 embankments were breached in our area after heavy tidal waves destroyed the embankments, which were constructed to prevent salt water entering our farms," a farmer from Taungup Township said.  
In southern Taungup Township over 10,000 acres of paddy farms were damaged after heavy tides brought salt water into the farmlands.

Farmers from many villages in southern Taungup Township, including Bu Shwe Maw, Kyaw Gai, Nga Roke Taung, Shouk Inn, Kyauk Wai, Thein Chaung Byin, and Nget Pyo Daw, are now suffering because of the damage to their farms.

"The salt tide often enters farms in our area during full moon days throughout the rainy season, but it does not often have such a large impact. But this year the situation is very bad and all paddy fields were damaged by the heavy tide," the farmer said.

According to local farmers, the paddy is now swollen and will be ripe very soon in Arakan, but all the paddy farms located along the coastal area had their crop damaged by salt-water tide.

In Arakan State, there are a large number of embankments and dams constructed by the government and locals to prevent salt water from the sea entering paddy farms. This time, however, the surge was unusually high and destroyed many of the embankments when the storm crossed the Bay of Bengal on 9 October.

A large number of embankments located in several townships, including Kyuak Pru, Myay Bon, Pauk Taw, Taungup, Min Bya, Sittwe, and Maungdaw were destroyed by the recent tide, damaging the farms.

Even though farmers in Arakan State were hit hard by the tidal surge, there has been no cooperation or aid from the government for the farmers who now need help to rebuild the embankments and re-cultivate their farmland.

"The authorities in our area are too busy with the upcoming election and they are not interested in the situation of Arakanese farmers after the storm. The authorities are now trying only to garner victory for the junta-backed USDP in the election, and they do not care for the people , whatever they may be facing," the farmer said.