Widespread flooding and intensifying fighting worsen humanitarian crisis in Myanmar
Overflowing rivers have submerged towns and villages, affecting nearly 400,000 people, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported.
Critical infrastructure has been damaged – including roads and railways – along with large swathes of farmland, threatening both livelihoods and food security.
“Across Myanmar, people are facing the traumatic consequences of widespread conflict and devastating disasters.. The worsening crisis has pushed many people into survival mode,” the Office of the Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator said in a declare on Monday, welcoming aid workers and host communities.
“Local and national humanitarian organizations are at the forefront of this response, demonstrating tireless determination to help those in need.…Host communities across Myanmar are providing vital support…They are often the first responders in this crisis and a lifeline for those affected,” the statement added.
More than three million people were displaced.
Across Myanmar, About 3.3 million people were internally displaced.Many people live without proper shelter and in areas affected by fighting, such as Sagaing province in the north, home to about 1.25 million people.
Fresh fighting has also broken out here as security forces launched a fresh offensive against ethnic armed groups fighting the military government, forcing some 10,000 people to flee their homes this month alone.
Clashes have also displaced thousands of people in Mandalay, the country’s third most populous province, which includes the capital Mandalay City.
Clashes also escalated in Rakhine state.website of a the military’s brutal crackdown on the Rohingya Muslim minority in 2017 has claimed the lives of thousands of people and forced hundreds of thousands of others to flee to neighboring Bangladesh for refuge.
Across the country, more than 18.6 million people – about a third of the population – are in urgent need of humanitarian aid, including six million children.
The situation in Myanmar has been in turmoil since the military took over. overthrow the elected government in February 2021 and detained senior leaders, including President Win Myint and State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi.
Spike in deadly diseases
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization of the United Nations (WHO) reported a spike in cases of cholera and acute diarrhea (AWD) in several parts of Myanmar, including Yangon, the country’s largest city and business hub.
More than 2,400 people have been hospitalized in the city and surrounding areas with AWD, including some confirmed cases of cholera, the agency said earlier this month, citing information from national health authorities.
A “significant surge” has also been reported in Rakhine state, including patients suffering from severe dehydration as a result. The presence of cholera has also been confirmed in an unspecified number of cases.
In response, WHO provided infection prevention and control training to partners in Yangon. WHO also provided approximately 500 oral rehydration salt kits and 201 40-kg containers of bleach to civil society and health authorities.
The agency warns that lack of access to real-time analytical data is a major obstacle to effective disease planning and response.
