In areas controlled by the Arakan Army (AA), including internally displaced persons (IDPs), Arakanese civilians are facing a severe shortage of clean water. Due to difficulties in accessing drinking water, there have been reports of people suffering from skin diseases, diarrhea, and other waterborne illnesses, according to humanitarian groups and local residents.
IDPs from various regions, including Sittwe city, which is still under junta control, are now taking shelter in Ponnakyun, Kyauktaw, Rathedaung, and Maungdaw Townships. These areas are also experiencing water scarcity, with Ponnakyun Township reportedly being the worst-affected area.
In Ponnakyun Township, tens of thousands of people, including war refugees, are struggling with various difficulties in obtaining drinking water. According to reports, some villagers are having to walk for hours just to fetch water.
Despite making such long and difficult journeys, the water they manage to collect is very limited and often not clean. People facing water scarcity and aid groups helping them say that the water available is neither sufficient nor safe for consumption.
“People are having to struggle just to get water. They have to dedicate a lot of time specifically for water collection—like a full-time job,” said the Lin Roung Kyi Foundation, which is providing water assistance in Ponnakyun Township. “Some villagers from areas without access to water have to walk about 45 minutes just to get a bucket of water. Even then, they have to share it.”
Along the Ponnakyun Kyauktaw road, nearly 20 villages are facing water shortages. Both the local residents and the internally displaced persons (IDPs) taking shelter in these villages are experiencing severe water scarcity.
Traveling long distances on foot to fetch water is especially difficult for families without a male head of household and those living with young children, residents say. For these families, the situation is particularly challenging.
Currently in Ponnakyun Township, a 20-liter bottle of water costs between 1,000 and 1,500 kyats. For those who cannot afford to buy water, the only option is to walk long distances on foot to collect it themselves.
“In previous years, water scarcity usually lasted for about a month during the summer. But this year, because a large number of people have arrived, water has been scarce since winter. It’s not that the water sources have decreased, but the population has increased significantly people from Sittwe and Pauktaw towns,” said a local elder from Ponnakyun Township.
In those water-scarce areas, using river water is also difficult because it’s saline and not suitable for drinking.
In addition, even when people try to dig shallow wells to access water, they say it only yields water if dug at least 20 feet deep, according to aid workers and local residents.
“Even the wells have stopped yielding water in recent times. Now, we have to dig at least 10 to 15 feet deep just to find any water,” said a staff member from the Lin Raung Kyi Foundation.
Local residents also report that water scarcity is beginning to affect parts of Kyauktaw, Maungdaw, and Rathedaung Townships as well.
“When there’s no drinking water, it becomes really difficult. Even water for daily use is very important for cooking, boiling, everything. We can’t live without water. If there’s no water, where can we go to fetch it? It’s worrying,” said a woman from Pauktaw Township.
“There could be health problems, too. Even when water is available, people are already getting skin diseases. Without the chance to bathe properly, those skin conditions could get worse.”
Reports also say that in some villages within Ponnakyun Township, cases of skin infections have already started to appear.
Using unclean drinking and household water can lead to various illnesses such as diarrhea, dysentery, cholera, jaundice, typhoid, and skin diseases, so it’s important to take precautions, warned a senior general physician.
“Water should be boiled before drinking. As much as possible, efforts should be made to ensure it’s clean. There are many diseases that can be transmitted through water. If people can’t bathe properly, skin infections are also likely to develop,” the doctor said.
In Arakan, where there are currently over 600,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs), many people have already been suffering from skin diseases due to the lack of clean drinking water and overcrowded living conditions.
With the military council blocking the import of medicine and essential goods into the region, medicine prices have skyrocketed. There is also a shortage of doctors and healthcare workers, making it extremely difficult for people to access proper treatment when they fall ill.
Local residents point out that under these circumstances, if water scarcity leads to further outbreaks of waterborne diseases, it will become even more challenging to access necessary medical care and treatment.
Although Arakan is one of the regions in Myanmar with the highest annual rainfall, it continues to face water scarcity every year. This is due to inadequate rainwater storage, a lack of sufficient drinking water reservoirs, and extreme weather conditions caused by climate change.
Observers point out that authorities should take responsibility by planning and implementing systematic water management strategies to address the ongoing crisis.
“Last year, we were also unprepared for the water shortage. During the summer, the fighting intensified, and money became the most important issue,” said another young resident from Ponnakyun Township.
While the Arakan People’s Revolutionary Government and local civil society groups are making efforts to dig wells and provide water donations in water-scarce regions, local residents say that due to financial constraints, these efforts have not been able to cover the entire population in need.
“The civilian groups provide water donations depending on the funds they receive. However, they can only cover a limited area. If the donations are sufficient, they will be able to expand their efforts and reach more people,” said a spokesperson from the Lin Raung Kyi Foundation.
In the final phase of the Arakan war, the Arakan Army has fully taken control of several regions, including Paletwa, Maungdaw, Buthidaung, Rathedaung, Pauktaw, Kyauktaw, Minbra, Myaybon, Mrauk U, Ponnakyun, Rambre, Thandwe, Taunggoke, Ann, and Gwa townships.
In areas controlled by the Arakan Army, the Arakan People’s Revolutionary Government is implementing administrative measures and working on reconstruction efforts, according to local residents.
As a result, the Arakan People’s Revolutionary Government needs to find solutions to the water scarcity issues in the region. They require both short-term and long-term plans to address the crisis, while also ensuring the local population is informed and engaged in collaborative efforts to tackle the problem.
