In Hpruso Township, Karenni State, some villages are facing difficulties accessing drinking water as the sources they depend on have dried up in April, according to local residents.
“In this village, there are two water sources. One is very far away, and the other is nearby, but it has dried up. Now, we only receive about 30 containers (yellow containers) of water per day, which is not enough. We are able to use 4 containers for two days. For large families, it’s been very difficult,” said one local.
Due to water scarcity, people are having to conserve and use water sparingly. Moreover, both local residents and internally displaced people are now sharing the same limited water sources.
In some villages, the available water sources are far away, and reaching them is difficult due to security concerns and the condition of the roads.
Additionally, the cost of transporting water has significantly increased. It now costs over 200,000 kyats to transport water using a vehicle carrying about 5,000 liters.
“In previous years, it was already expensive to deliver water to our village because of the distance, and it cost around 210,000 kyats. Now, it’s as high as 220,000 kyats per time. It’s hard to hire trucks because the distance is so far. Fetching water is also dangerous because it is not safe for girls to go, so only the boys go to fetch the water,” said another local resident.
Kantarawaddy Times Emergency Support Team (KTEST) provided water aid to the drought-affected villages in the eastern part of Hpruso Township from March 31 to April 5. However, the group’s Chairperson, Maw Oo Myar, stated that the needs remain high.
“More assistance is needed. It’s a daily necessity. Because there are so many crises, people often hesitate to ask for help. They think that there might be some who are in a worse situation. There are still many places that need water. As for us, we can only give what we have, so we can’t provide a lot. But the need is still very great. Water is essential,” said Maw Oo Myar.
Hpruso Township has been experiencing water shortages annually. Before the military coup, people were able to travel to towns to collect water.
But now, due to security concerns, travel is no longer possible, and the number of water donors has decreased, according to locals.
