Narinjara News, July 29, 2025

Thousands of individuals have been evacuated from at least five townships in Rakhine State due to flooding. Kyauktaw, Mrauk-U, Minbya, Thandwe, and Taungup are the townships that are now affected.

On July 27, several villages, such as Kyaukse Pyin, Letka, and Pauktaw Pyin, including the Sincha Seik Ward in Mrauk-U township, were inundated due to continuous rain.

Continuous rain has caused the Laymyo River to rise, and the Pan Myaung Gyi River, which feeds into the Laymyo, is now inundated, with at least twenty villages being affected.

The villages inundated along the Pan Myaung Gyi River in Minbya Township include Lak Khat, Myintin Ma, Don Tha, Tagun Taing, Chinseik, Tawtan, Tha Si, Chaungto, Kappae, Paletaung, Wa Taung, Athaykarla, Min Phu, Myinkasaeik, Kalama Taung, and Dongyi.

According to a local social worker, thousands of people from these communities have been evacuated to shelters in the highlands and are in desperate need of help.

"At the moment, the majority of villages are in difficulty. Food, clean water, and medicine are the primary requirements. If the water level increases, it's hard to survive. People may get diarrhea and fever if the drinking water is not clean when the water level falls," he added.

Due to the rising of the Kaladan River in Kyauktaw Township, the fish market has been inundated, and merchandise from nearby businesses and warehouses has been relocated to secure locations.

Despite the water having receded in Thandwe, Rakhine State, residents claim that families who were evacuated from low-lying areas have not yet been able to go back home.

"The water level has gradually fallen below the danger level, but it is still raining incessantly. So, we cannot say. It may rise once more. Many locals have not yet returned home. They're still waiting," according to Ko Naing Win, who lives in Thandwe.

Due to the severe rains, he said, some residents in low-lying areas like Dwarawaddy Myothit, Thandwe Township, Nat Pyin Village, Chan Pyin Village, Let Pan Su, and Mae Kyun had to be evacuated to higher ground. The Thandwe Creek has risen to the danger level as a result of excessive rainfall since July 22.

In recent years, floods have hit Rakhine (Arakan), which is located on the western coast of Myanmar, during the monsoon, causing widespread hardship, but there has been very little research on climate change.