ReliefWeb

SITUATION OVERVIEW

Heavy rains have caused floods and landslides in several parts of Myanmar since June 2015. On 30 July, Cyclone Komen made landfall in Bangladesh, bringing strong winds and additional heavy rains to the country, which resulted in widespread flooding across 12 of the country’s 14 states and regions (Ayeyarwady, Bago, Chin, Kachin, Kayin, Magway, Mandalay, Mon, Rakhine, Sagaing, Shan Yangon).
On 31 July, the President declared Chin and Rakhine states, and Magway and Sagaing regions as natural disaster zones.

As of 20 August, the National Natural Disaster Management Committee (NNDMC) reported that 117 people were killed and over 1.6 million people have been displaced by floods and landslides since mid July.

This was used as a planning figure to develop the initial flood response plan. Population figures continue to change daily as people in some areas, where flood waters are receding, start to return to their homes, and people in other areas are newly affected by floods.

The NNDMC identified Hakha in Chin State, Kale in Sagaing Region, Pwintbyu in Magway Region, and Minbya and Mrauk-U in Rakhine as the five most affected townships where a total of 229,600 people were affected by the floods. According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation, over 1.4 million acres of farmlands have been inundated, with more than 800,000 acres destroyed, as of 25 August. Damage to crops and arable land will disrupt the planting season and pose a risk to long-term food security. While the water has receded in many areas, in particular in the northern part of the country, many roads and bridges were destroyed in the worst affected states and regions, and transportation remains a challenge for assessments and assistance delivery. Many roads in remote areas are covered in mud and debris. At the time of writing, rains continue across the country, especially in affected regions in the north.

Multi-sectoral Initial Rapid Assessments (MIRA) have been conducted in 317 locations of 34 townships in Ayeyarwady, Bago, Chin, Magway, Rakhine and Sagaing, covering close to 200,000 people. Other needs assessments were also carried out in areas not covered by the MIRA assessments in Chin and Rakhine states. According to the Rakhine State Government (RSG), Buthidaung, Kyauktaw, Minbya, Maungdaw and Mrauk-U townships are the most severely affected areas in Rakhine State. Preliminary findings indicate that floods and salt water have severely damaged the paddy fields. A major concern remains water contamination, as most villages use water ponds for drinking water and many ponds have been flooded and contaminated. Landslides on the way to Hakha Township in Chin State have been cleared and food supplies and assistance delivered but the situation remains critical. In Magway, two of the worst affected townships are Pwintbyu and Sidoktaya.

According to RRD, Kale is the hardest hit township in Sagaing, with some 85,000 people affected. In Ayeyarwady Region, over 504,000 people are currently affected or displaced by floods.

On 4 August, the Government of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar welcomed international assistance for the flood response. Priority humanitarian needs include food, water and sanitation services, shelter and access to emergency health care. Livelihood support, health and education assistance and other interventions are also needed for the early recovery phase.