By Garcia Ni / MPA
Internally Displaced Person (IDP) Camps in Kyaukhtu Sub-township, Saw Township, Magway Region, have been submerged due to flash floods caused by torrents of creeks, resulting in the deaths of a mother and her child, local sources reported.
Heavy rainfall in southern Chin State, beginning on 24 September 2024, caused water levels in Kyin Chaung, and Kyauk Sit creeks to rise, leading to flooding. As of the afternoon of 25 September, villages and IDP located along the Kyaukhtu-Saw Road were inundated.
“The waters coming from Chin State have flooded the Shwezi Sar IDP Camp, Taung Zalap IDP Camp, and Let Gyi Ai Village in the western area, which includes a ravine. The water volume is much greater than usual, causing the flooding. Streams have overflowed, washing away crops and farmlands nearby. Around 80 houses in the Shwezi Sar IDP Camp have been affected, and all 84 houses in Taung Zalap Camp have been destroyed,” Daw Khin Nyein Chan, the humanitarian officer of Saw Township’s People Administration Team (Pa Aha Pha) told MPA.
The flooding claimed the lives of a 38-year-old mother and her three-year-old child from Taung Zalap IDP Camp, who were swept away by the strong currents.
“The mother’s body has not been recovered yet, but the child’s body has been found. Funeral preparations are underway today. Nothing has been recovered from the Taung Zalap IDP Camp either,” Daw Khin Nyein Chan added.
Taung Zalap IDP Camp shelters displaced persons from Mindat and Kanpetlet Townships in Chin State, while Shwezi Sar Camp is home to displaced persons from Kyaukhtu’s Kyantaw Village, who fled due to artillery shelling by the State Administration Council (SAC) Army.
“Since early on, people from villages close to the Kyaukhtu military base along the road to Saw have been living in makeshift tents by the roadside, fearing artillery shelling,” said a local man from Kyaukhtu.
Currently, Pa Aha Pha in Saw Township, in collaboration with nearby villages, is providing shelter and assistance to those displaced by the floods. However, further aid is needed to address the crisis.
“The primary need right now is food, and we are also in need of donations to rebuild shelters. At the moment, we urgently need donors for food and shelter supplies. People have lost all their clothes and food, leaving them in distress. We are doing our best to support them and keep their spirits up,” Daw Khin Nyein Chan continued.
As displaced persons struggle with the flood disaster, SAC Army from Htilin Township have launched offensives toward Kyaukhtu, while in Mindat Township, SAC Army continues to set fire to civilian houses, according to local reports.
Since 10 September 2024, heavy rainfall across Myanmar, caused by the remnants of Typhoon Yagi, has led to the overflow of dams and reservoirs, as well as rising river levels, resulting in widespread flooding.
As a result of the floods, 56 townships across Naypyidaw, Bago, Magway, Mandalay, Ayeyarwady, Kayah, Karen, Mon, and Shan regions have been affected. SAC announced on 18 September that 268 people had died and 88 others were missing due to the flooding.
