The Sagaing Division town of Kale, or Kalay, has been arguably the worst hit area by the floods, but water levels are now receding.
At least half the town, which has a population of 400,000, has been underwater for the best part of a week, while transport has been almost completely at a standstill in and out of Kale, as landslides have blocked or destroyed the roads in the surrounding hills.
Thousands of people have been evacuated to shelters.
“The water level has now has dropped by about six feet compared to yesterday,” Kalay district chairman Maung Tu told DVB on Monday evening. “Some roads are open again. The water level has also receded up to a radius of one and a half miles outside the town. We cannot use trains yet. The railway was destroyed and needs to be repaired.
“As for food, the regional [Sagaing] government has helped us, as have volunteers and NGOs” he added. “The army, health services, private hospitals and clinics are providing health care. There are still an estimated 20 villages in the township still inundated, where water has submerged even the rooftops. People there have lost everything.”
It was reported in The Irrawaddy that 48 people have been stranded in a university compound in Kale Township for a week as of Tuesday. Those sheltering in Kale Computer University, some 14 miles from the main town, reportedly received food supplies from a military helicopter on Monday morning.