Two-thirds of the territory in Karenni State is impacted by water drought every year, according to the General Secretary of the Karenni State Interim Executive Council (IEC). At the moment, more than 40 villages and approximately 115,000 Internally Displaced People (IDP) are facing water shortages in Demoso Township and Hpruso Township of Karenni State.
“People from Karenni State face drought every year during the dry season. In some regions, the drought even starts as early as late February. This is a perpetual problem. Two-thirds of the territory in Karenni state faces water drought every year,” Khu Plu Reh, General Secretary of the IEC, told NMG.
Right now drought is impacting 100,000 Internally Displaced People (IDP) in western Demoso Township along the Demoso–Taungoo road, 15,000 IDPs in Hpruso Township and the residents of over 40 villages across Hpruso Township.
A female IDP, who lives in the Taphu Deeku IDP camp in western Hpruso Township, said that while it is possible to travel by vehicle to collect water, people who don’t have access to a vehicle are facing water shortages.
“We need water. The number of IDPs in this area continues to increase and there is not enough water for everybody. Access to water is not equal. If a person has a vehicle it is possible to travel to collect water from distant water sources, but I don’t have a vehicle so it is difficult for me to get water,” the female IDP told NMG.
The female IDP said that the distance between her IDP camp and the nearest water source it is approximately 12 miles. She said that it is risky to travel to collect water because the Burma army could attack at any time. The cost of transporting water is too expensive for many people.
“I think that it costs up to 200,000 Kyat for a round-trip between the IDP camp and the water source. Also the ability to collect water depends on the military situation. It is possible to travel to collect water if there are no Burma army troops patrolling nearby. It is not possible to collect water if fighting breaks out in the area,” the female IDP told NMG.
IDPs depend on the water brought from the nearby water source for cooking and drinking. In the Taphu Deeku IDP camp there are 118 IDPs from 34 families. These IDPs require approximately 2,000 gallons of water each week. There are two Non-Governmental Organizations that provide water to the Taphu Deeku IDP camp.
Khu Plu Reh said that the IEC has a plan to solve the water drought and water supply shortages for IDPs and local people in Karenni State.
“We have a plan to provide water for IDP camps and villages which need water supply. The IEC’s Humanitarian, Relief and Rehabilitation department will provide assistance to IDP camps and civilian villages. In some cases, we will provide them with fuel for their vehicles to travel to collect water from nearby water sources,” Khu Plu Reh told NMG.
Khu Plu Reh said that they would provide water directly to IDP camps and civilian villages in western Demoso Township for the whole dry season.
A volunteer, who is working with the Karenni Humanitarian Team (KHT), said that the IEC will provide fire trucks which were seized from the military council to transport water from water sources. The KHT is looking for donors who can provide fuel for the fire trucks.
“If we get donations we can operate the fire trucks. At the moment, we have received a small number of donations. If we get more funding, we can distribute more water to IDPs and local people,” the volunteer told NMG.
The volunteer said that the majority of donors who donated funds to support the distribution of water for IDP camps and civilian villages are from abroad.
Before the military coup in 2021, the NLD government had set-up a three billion Kyat fund to support water distribution to villages suffering from drought in Demoso Township, Hpruso Township and Loikaw Township.
