Some villages in Myebon Township and townspeople in Rathedaung are facing water shortages as local lakes have dried up, according to residents.

At least five villages in Myebon Township have reported limited access to drinking water. Salai Aung Lin Tun of Kyauk Phalar village said: “We have to fetch water from a place around 1 mile from the village as lakes and wells in our village are drying up.”

The affected villages are prone to water shortages in April and May, and farming is negatively affected, according to residents.

“We have only a few lakes and wells [supplying] our villages, which usually dry up at this time of year. We face water shortages annually,” said Salai Aung Lin Tun.

Residents in urban Rathedaung are also dealing with water shortages as Kandawgyi Lake, a major source of water for the town, is drying up. Water from other local lakes is not clean and people suffer from skin problems as a result, Rathedaung resident Ko Win Hlaing Che told DMG.

“Kandawgyi and other lakes have dried up. And water from other sources is not clean. In the northeast of Rathedaung, households are limited to a bucket of water each per day,” said Ko Win Hlaing Che.

In other parts of Rathedaung, residents are limited to two buckets of water per household per day. The Arakan State military council spokesman declined to comment when asked by DMG about what measures the council is taking to address water shortages.

The Arakan State Rural Development Department said it has plans to supply water to 11 townships in the state that are prone to annual water shortages, those being: Sittwe, Rathedaung, Mrauk-U, Kyauktaw, Myebon, Maungdaw, Buthidaung, Ann, Thandwe, Taungup and Gwa.

When asked by DMG, an officer from the Arakan State Rural Development Department said the department has not yet begun supplying water to townships facing water shortages.

Some urban wards in the Arakan State capital Sittwe are also facing water shortages after two major lakes supplying the city have dried up in recent weeks.