Floodwaters swept away shelters at the Ponchaung Internally Displaced People (IDP) Camps on the banks of the Pon Creek in the eastern part of Demoso Township, Karenni State, on 11 September 2024.
The camp, located on both sides of the Pon Creek was flooded when the levels of the Pon Creek reached 20 feet on 11 September and swept away IDPs shelters and food. Though the water levels of the creek dropped by the evening of 12 September, many IDPs in the camp are in need of shelter and food.
There are five IDP camps on the banks of the Pon Creek. No. 4 and No. 2 IDP camps are on the west bank of the Pon Creek. IDP Camps 1, 3 and 5 are on the eastern bank of the Pon Creek.
Aid workers have reached camps 4 and 2 on the western side of the creek, but they have been unable to reach, communicate with or assess the conditions in camps 1,3 and 5 on the east side of the Pon Creek, because the water levels in the creek are too high for anyone to cross from the west bank to the east bank.
The flooding caused significant damage and loss of food and possessions in the IDP camps on the west side of Pon Creek.
In Camp 4 there were approximately 80 IDP shelters and about half of them were swept away by the flooding, whilst eight shelters were destroyed in Camp 2. Food crops stored by the IDPs were also swept away, according to Khu Bal Yal, an IDP.
He said: “In Camp 4, we have lost approximately 40 homes. In Camp 2, eight homes have been lost, and there is also significant damage in the camp. That's because a home had 47 bags of sesame that were swept away by the floodwater. The crops that were cultivated haven't been sold yet, and they've been completely swept away. Everything we've worked for has been lost. It's very frustrating.”
He also said there were IDP families of women without any adult male members who are facing even greater hardships because they were unable to save any of their belongings from the flooding.
IDPs whose shelters were swept away are sheltering in village halls and schools but they have limited supplies, according to an IDP from Camp 4, whose shelter was swept away.
She said: "After the flooding, we no longer have a place to live, so we are taking shelter in village halls and schools. As for food, we have some rice available, but some people do not. We have to share, cook, and make do with whatever little we have. Additionally, we had planted some pumpkin plants. When we checked, we found that some of our supplies remained, while others were completely lost. We are now relying on the leftover supplies we had at home and rationing them as best as we can.”
Donor organisations have managed to get some aid to the IDP camps on the western side of the Pon Creek, but there is still a need for more assistance.
Currently, about 10,0000 people in Demoso Township have been affected by flooding, according to the Interim Executive Council of Karenni State (IEC), the provisional revolutionary government of Karenni State.
Heavy rainfall has caused flooding in various areas of Karenni State and along the Shan-Karenni border, displacing around 30,000 people. The IEC says that they urgently require emergency assistance and supplies, including shelter, clean water, and food supplies.
