Belin, 6 August
People in Belin Township, Mon State, are in desperate need of basic food and drinking water due to flooding, locals and rescue teams told Than Lwin Times.
Due to relentless rain in Belin Township since the beginning of August, the water level of the Belin River has exceeded its danger level, causing flooding throughout the township.
The flood inundated about 20 towns, including five wards in Belin, and tens of thousands of flood-affected residents have been evacuated.
For flood victims, 24 temporary relief camps have been set up in schools and monasteries on the higher ground in Belin Township.
Despite an increase in the number of individuals affected by the floods, the demand for food and drinking water remains high because there are a few donors.
The floodwaters wreaked havoc on villages controlled by the Karen National Union (KNU) in the eastern part of Belin Township, submerging entire villages.
However, the military council did not provide much assistance to Belin flood victims, and the people were forced to rely on one another to make their own preparations.
Locals said that the authorities led by Mon State Prime Minister U Aung Kyi Thein have not visited the flood-affected areas, and officials from the Social Welfare, Relief, and Resettlement Department have not yet come to help.
Belin floods swamped the Mawlamyine-Yangon roadway, overturning and sinking two trucks.
However, vehicles have begun running again on the Mawlamyine-Yangon highway since 12:00 p.m. on 5 August.
According to the flood bulletin of the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology on August 5, the water level of Mon State’s Belin River, Kachin State’s Nanyin River, Karen State’s Thaungyin and Thanlwin Rivers may remain above their danger levels.
News-Than Lwin Times
Photo-CJ
Thanlwintimes