Six days after Mandalay City was hit by a devastating earthquake conditions have become unsanitary and there is a desperate need for toilets and clean drinking water.
On 28 March a powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck Sagaing Region, which borders Mandalay Region. As of 3 April the death toll stood at 3,866 people, with 2,462 of those having died in Mandalay Region, according to DVB.
Many buildings have also collapsed in Mandalay City leaving many people homeless and having to sleep on the streets. There have also been dozens of aftershocks in the six days since the earthquake. These have left many of the cities residents who still have homes too scared to stay in them. Instead, they have also been sleeping on the streets.
This has led to unsanitary conditions.
A woman from Mandalay City said to Shan Herald: “Some people are sleeping in tents on platforms, while others are just using mosquito nets. With no toilets available, people have to come up with makeshift solutions to answer the call of nature. It's been six days since the earthquake, and the smell from bodies still trapped under the rubble is getting worse. And it's not just that—there are all kinds of unpleasant odours everywhere.”
She explained that without toilets many people have had to relieve themselves at the side of the road or in alleyways causing a foul stench, which is why portable toilets are urgently needed in the city
Another Mandalay City resident who is helping earthquake victims also highlighted the urgent need for drinking water.
He said: “Even though we’ve received aid materials from donors, there’s still a massive need for drinking water. Toilets are also urgently needed. And rescue teams still can’t access or search many of the collapsed buildings.”
He added that waterproof tents may also soon be needed as weather forecasts predict rain in Myanmar in the coming days.
“Lots of things are needed. When people are too afraid to go back to their homes and end up sleeping on the roadsides, they need tents. Waterproof tarpaulin sheets are also urgently needed,” he added.
Rescue teams have not yet started removing the many piles of rubble scattered across Mandalay City, and many bodies remain unrecovered due to limited search and rescue capabilities.
Currently, search and rescue operations in Mandalay City are primarily focused on the Sky Villa condominium building and the Great Wall Hotel, which are considered the two places with the highest number of casualties in the city. The junta has also closed roads and restricted access in some areas of the city.
