Flood havoc
Over 150,000 displaced in Myanmar as monsoon rains pummel the Mekong region.
bago ( myanmar):
Monsoon rains have pummelled the Mekong region in recent days with Myanmar bearing the brunt of flooding that has forced 150,000 to flee and threatens to destroy levees shielding thousands of homes.
The swirling inundations have started to recede in some areas in the low-lying southeast but the country is only just entering peak monsoon season and more downpours are expected in the coming weeks.
Thousands were either unable or have refused to leave their half-submerged homes, peering out from upper floor windows as they waited for relief boats bringing food and supplies.
Evacuation orders are still in place across Bago, Karen, Mon and Taninthari provinces with dozens of dams and reservoirs overflowing.
In Madauk town in Bago region, warnings that key levees are at breaking point sparked fear among residents.
“When the authorities warned us over the microphone, we didn’t know where to run. Children and elderly people were crying,” 43-year-old Ma Wai said yesterday.
State media reported that nearly 150,000 people have been forced to seek refuge in 327 camps while nearly 28,000 are clinging on in their flooded homes. At least a dozen people have been killed.
Tin Tun, 50, said he and his family decided they had no choice but to escape what he described as the worst flooding they had ever experienced.
“We had to flee, taking people and our animals by boat. The water was up to our waists in our house when we left,” he said.
The heavy monsoon is also lashing Myanmar’s neighbours.
Laos is still searching for scores of people missing after a dam collapsed last month, wiping out entire villages and killing at least 11.
Floodwaters from the disaster seeped into Cambodia and forced thousands from their homes.
Thailand said yesterday that seven of its northeastern provinces have been hit by flooding, affecting at least 30,000 people.
Heavy flooding has also submerged swathes of farmland near Vietnam’s capital Hanoi this week, with water reaching the roofs of some homes causing 4,000 residents to scramble to dry ground. — AFP