Massive Flooding in Pathein District,  Myanmar

Massive flooding caused by ongoing heavy rain in these recent weeks (mid July to mid August) has forced thousands of people living in Ayeyarwaddy Division to flee their homes. The flooding displaces thousands in the Delta Region.

Pathein district is one of the 6 districts composed of Ayeyarwaddy Division in southern part of Myanmar. The district is located around the city of Pathein (formerly known as Bassein) and includes the urban area of it. The area of the Pathein District is 10900 sq. km. Its population was 1,769,280 according to statistics shown in 2001. The district consists of  7 townships: Pathein , Kangyidaunk ,Tharbaung , Kyonpyaw ,Yekyi , Kyaunggon , Ngapudaw . The district of Pathein contains  48 wards, 519 village groups and 2963 villages.

In the district  of Pathein 85% of population live on agriculture rice farming, and the remaining 15% are fishermen and seasonal workers. Majority of them dwell in the villages around the centers of respective township. Pathein is main city of Ayeyarwaddy division located along the bank of Ngawan river. The main towns in the district can be reached by land roads and by river. In the past 30 years travel by boats in the river was the only means of transportation in the district. Being located in low-lying land areas, Pathein district has been threatened by inundation during raining season. However this year due to ongoing heavy rainfalls for about 3-4 weeks from mid July to now mid August the districts is now flooded and the area is now massively affected.   

Every year during the months of July, August and September, Ayeyarwaddy division located in Delta region in southern part of Myanmar, gets a lot of rains which sometimes cause inundation in some parts of the region. When there is heavy and continuous and ongoing rainfalls, water level augments and causes flooding in low-lying land areas. This kind of unusual rains and high water level occurred in this recent decade notably one time, in 2004 and second in 2007 and this year 2012 which is now causing more damages and losses than the previous two.

In fact, this year the monsoon come later than previous years and only mid of June that the rainfall started in Ayeyarwaddy division. However starting from mid of July, the unusual heavy and continuous rainfall in the whole region of Ayeyarwaddy. Fortunately there is no storm and strong wind blows. After two to three weeks of heavy rains those people who live in low lying land started shifting their property to the safer places  expecting to be less affected by the flood like the other previous years. However due to non-stop rains and heavy rainfall, water level augments and floods cover the rice farmlands and houses, causing damages of their properties. Majority of the population are farmers and seasonal workers depend on them for their daily wages to cover their basic needs. The reserved food that the seasonal workers prepared could not stand for more than two weeks in case of disaster. They are the ones currently most affected by the floods. Now what they need is food with which they can move on for some weeks to come. 

Among 7 townships in Ayeyarwaddy Division, the most affected townships are; Pathein Township, Kangyidaunk Township, Tharbaung Township, Kyonpyaw Township, Yekyi Township , Kyaunggon Township and only Ngaputaw township is exempted. Until now no life is reported lost by the floods, but most of the farmlands, paddy fields are submerged under water and the paddy already planted are now totally destroyed. When the water goes down, the second re-plantation of paddy needs to be resumed, may be in mid of September. The cost of seeds and charges of labors will require much resources from the farmers and seasonal workers. To meet all these challenges the flood affected victims are now badly in need of external helps that would alleviate their suffering and worries. 

Karuna Pathein (KMSS-Pathein) is now deploying the emergency response staff led by deputy director and accompanied by a volunteer priest from the diocese of Pathein in the townships of Pathein, Kyaunggon, Kanggyidauk and Tharbaung. After doing rapid assessment, the distribution of food items ( 500 sacks of rice) have now distributed to the beneficiaries with cooperation of the parish priests of Ywegone, Eimme, and Paukseinbe and local authority concerned. As the rains do not stop and the water level does not goes down, there is still a huge need to meet the demands of the flood affected victims.

Following the protocol of KMSS National and Diocesan Office in case of emergency, KMSS Pathein is now making an urgent appeal to KMSS National Office to coordinate in this endeavor of emergency response to the flood affected victims. 

Reported from Karuna Pathein Office

Diocese of Pathein; August 17,2012