Border News Agency
Kyauktaw, June 18
Residents say that in some areas controlled by the Arakan Army (AA), heavy rain and flooding began early this morning, June 18.
Since June 15, continuous heavy rainfall has caused rivers and creeks to rise, resulting in flooding in the area.
“The rain has been falling continuously day and night. The river levels are rising too. The fields and creeks are filling with water, causing flooding,” said a villager from Chaungtu Village, Kyauktaw Township, to the Border News Agency.
Due to the heavy rainfall, flooding has occurred in Kyauktaw Township, affecting villages such as Chaungtu, Kha Moung Taw, Ywet Ma Nhyo Taung, Me Yat Pyin, Wa Taung, Panphae Chaung, Kan Sauk, as well as the Yo Chaung Phyar villages, with floodwaters entering the foothills.
In addition, continuous heavy rainfall in Ponnakyun Township has caused the Kaladan River to rise, flooding low-lying areas, roads, some villages, and displacement camps.
Due to continuous heavy rainfall and flooding in Ponnakyun Township, over two hundred displaced households have been relocated to safer areas and are in urgent need of emergency assistance.
“Due to heavy rain and flooding, villages have been inundated, and roads are submerged. Displacement camps are also flooded, creating an urgent need for assistance. Emergency food supplies and shelter materials are required. The displaced people have been relocated to safer areas since this morning,” said a relief worker assisting displaced households in Ponnakyun Township to the Border News Agency.
In the first week of June, heavy rainfall caused river levels to rise, leading to flooding in townships such as Ponnakyun, Kyauktaw, and Mrauk-U.
According to the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology, since June 17, a low-pressure area has developed affecting the Rakhine region, the southern part of Bangladesh, and the western Bengal state of India.
Due to the strength of the low-pressure area, strong southwest winds are blowing over the Bay of Bengal and the Bangladesh Sea. The interaction between eastward and westward moving wind waves is expected to bring rainfall until June 23, according to the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology.
