Maungdaw, Arakan State: People in northern Arakan are suffering to a great extent due to flash floods caused by heavy rain with continuous downpour and tidal surge since July 17, according to sources in Maungdaw and Buthidaung north.
“Flash floods caused by the incessant rainfall and onrush of upstream water have submerged the areas of northern Arakan. Most of the roads have gone underwater.”
Sources in the area said rainwater has already damaged vegetable and paddy fields in Maungdaw and Buthidaung Townships.
The farmers might fail to achieve their target for paddy production, sources said.
“It has become almost impossible to go outside due to the stagnant water in the areas. The daily wage earners are passing a miserable time as they are not getting any work.”
“The price of daily essentials is going up, adding to the suffering of the inhabitants of the villages.”
The onrushes of water from areas upstream have raised the water level of the rivers, causing the inundation of Buthidaung north, said a schoolteacher from Buthidaung.
Again, all of the major rivers and tributaries marked sharp rises everywhere following moderate to heavy rains and onrushes of water in Maungdaw and Buthidaung north since July 19. This is the second time the rain is falling like cats and dogs, a local source said.
“Local people fear the continuous raining, which will flood more areas and cause the people to meet with a food crisis,” said a local leader from Maungdaw.
“Farmers from Burma border security force (Nasaka) area number six are losing more than 600 acres because of heavy rainfall and floods. Two Nasaka collaborators, Aayas and Syed Alam, have not given permission to pass the rainwater through their shrimp ponds, which damages the transplant paddy.”
“On the other hand, many fish projects are overflowing with the rain water so that many fish can get out of the embankment, and the owners will lose a lot of earning this year,” said a fish project owner from Maungdaw Town.
"The rivers might continue rising during the two-day-long period of heavy rain. However, all of them were still flowing below their respective danger marks at all points this morning.”
“If the water does not go down there will be more difficulties for people in terms of health, food and water,” the elder added.
“The Maungdaw-Buthidaung road might be blocked because of a landslide from the mountain,” said a trader from Maungdaw Town.
“In June last year, there also as a heavy rainfall like this which inundated northern Arakan, destroyed many houses and paddy fields, and even some people died.”
