Narinjara News, July 1, 2025 

According to residents, continuous rains in Maungdaw township, on the western border of Rakhine State, have resulted in floods in certain towns and villages, disrupted communication, and food shortages.

"There was a storm along with the rain last May. Additionally, there is a storm in June. Some towns and villages are inundated. The torrential rain prevents them from going outside to work. They are unable to purchase groceries outside the house. There are no reliefs at all. They are experiencing food shortages," an elder from Maungdaw Kaigyi village said. 

From June 13 to June 30, the Bay of Bengal has created three low-pressure zones, which have resulted in constant rain across the entire Rakhine State, including Maungdaw.

According to the Myanmar Meteorological Department, a low-pressure zone is also developing off the coast of West Bengal, India, and is predicted to pass through northern Odisha, West Bengal, and Jharkhand over the next two days, moving in a west-northwesterly direction.

Rakhine has experienced persistent rain for almost a month because of these low-pressure zones.

Now, Maungdaw Township includes Ywa Thit Kay (Hindu), Wet Sak Kone (Rakhine), and Aung Myay Bodhi ward, as well as Kai Gyi (Mro) Ok villages in the southern part of Maungdaw Township and the northern communities of Khon Tai, Myawaddy, and Aung Thu Kha.

Due to the lack of electricity, people in Rakhine State are using solar panels to charge their phones.

The persistent rainfall has, according to locals, disrupted communication between villages in Maungdaw Township, making it difficult for people to charge their phones.

“We are unable to charge our phones using solar panels, even with the constant rain. We still have to pay up to 3,000 kyats to charge our phones, even if a liter of fuel costs as much as 10,000 kyats. Not even that is sufficient for a full charge. The heavy rains in this area have caused a lot of hardships for the population since their phones are out of power and they are losing communication," a local Muslim elder said.

Due to the rain in Rakhine, it is also hard to get around, and people are losing their daily earnings.