Because of ongoing flooding there are difficulties getting food to flood-affected villages around Pekon and Mobye (Mongpai) towns in Pekon Township in Shan State on the border with Karenni State.
The area had already seen severe flooding as a result of the intentional breach of Mobye Dam at the end of July 2024, by the junta's Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) 422, stationed in Mobye Town. The breach caused a flash flood and water continues to be released from the dam due to raised water levels. This has caused over a month of severe flooding in Nyaungwaing Ward and nearby villages along the Belu Creek, including Phaungtaw, Phayani, and Phayaphyu.
The flooding in villages and camps for displaced people (IDPs) along the Belu Creek has become even worse since the second week of September, due to heavy rainfall bought by the tail-end of Typhoon Yagi. There has also been flooding in Mobye and Pekon towns.
Villages are no longer accessible by vehicles and motorcycles as the roads have all flooded and become waterways. Currently the villages can only be reached by boat, making it much harder to deliver them food.
An aid worker said: “We can only deliver donation supplies in the morning because the afternoon winds cause high waves. The boats we're using aren't like the ones used on Inle Lake. They're metal and can't carry much food.”
He explained that the metal boats are also prone to capsizing if they are overloaded which poses a significant risk to those trying to deliver food and aid.
The villages have experienced severe flooding with waters rising so high that single storey houses and the ground floors of two storey houses are completely flooded, meaning that the inhabitants of affected villages are facing many problems with a lack of clean water for drinking and cooking being the most acute problem.
Another aid worker said: “Cooking has become extremely difficult in flood-affected Pekon Township. They have to use the floodwater to cook their food. We can only donate drinking water. Although we've gone to help, they still have many needs.”
He explained that the flooding in some areas has been so bad it has been impractical to set up flood relief camps in some of the worst hit villages. Existing IDP camps have also been submerged, forcing those sheltering there to relocate to neighbouring villages on higher ground. If the rains continue people living in these areas will face even more difficulties and will be in urgent need of food, medicine and materials to make shelters.
The aid worker said: “They urgently need basic food supplies and tarpaulins. There is no medical support available. The unpredictable weather is causing sneezing and coughing, making healthcare even more challenging.”
The paddy fields between Mobye and Nanmaikhon villages are still under 15 to 20 feet of water. Due to the breach of the Mobye Dam and the continued release of water from the dam farmers in the area have been facing difficulties due to flooding since the beginning of August.
The World Food Programme (WFP) announced on 18 September that it will provide one month of emergency food assistance, including rice, energy biscuits, and nutritional supplements, to approximately 500,000 people affected by Typhoon Yagi in Myanmar.
