UNITED SIKHS Myanmar Flood Relief 2015
The 2015 Myanmar flood, floods were caused by heavy rainfall. Myanmar experiences flooding every monsoon season but has been particularly badly hit this year. The floods started 16th July and have affected 12 out of Myanmar’s 14 states. About 6.2 million people live in the region. Four areas have been declared disaster zones. There have been at least 88 deaths and up to 310,000 people were affected by the flood. Torrential rains starting from 16 July destroyed farmland, roads, rail tracks, bridges and houses.
A state of emergency has been declared in the four worst-hit regions in the west, namely Magway Division, Sagaing Division, Chin State and Rakhine State. In Sagaing Division, more than 190,000 acres of farmlands are flooded and 18,000 acres are destroyed. Flights to the city of Sittwe in the western state of Rakhine have been cancelled. It is home to around 140,000 displaced people, mainly Rohingya Muslims, who live in makeshift camps close to the coast.
Access to these areas “remains a major challenge” with debris floating in rivers – a hazard for boats – and landslides that have blocked roads, it said in a statement.
Over a million acres of rice fields have been flooded and crops destroyed on more than 150,000 acres, the agriculture ministry said. Flood waters are beginning to recede in western Rakhine state, and people are going home to take stock of the damage. In the village of Than Ta Yar, residents have returned home, and have received rations of rice, cooking oil and bottled water from local organizations.
The most urgent needs are food, safe and clean water, sanitation, shelter and access to emergency health care and psycho-social support for children. Floods and landslides have contaminated water and destroyed houses, schools and health facilities, displacing tens of thousands people and cutting off their access to basic services. Damaged roads and bridges block assessment teams and emergency aid from reaching families in large swaths of affected areas.
On 4 August, the Government of Myanmar has welcomed international assistance. Non-governmental organizations like United Nations and United Sikhs have stepped forward to provide relief to the people of Myanmar. United Sikhs already have a team on ground and are providing relief to most affected areas of the nation.
