Rakhine IDP refugee camps, rural areas face drinking water shortage

Aye Myat Khaing

Narinjara News, 3 April 2022
The IDP refugee camps as well as rural areas of  Rakhine State are presently facing the drinking water shortage  due to the ongoing drought.

As the summer days begin, the drinking water sources in many villages are dried up. The remaining water in various lakes and other water bodies has gone muddy and hence it becomes no useful for the villagers, stated the locals.

Daw Ma Aye Khaing from Taung Min Kala refugee camp in Kyauktaw township informed Narinjara News that the water shortage has been causing a lot of  problems for the refugees.

"There is an acute shortage of water in the camp. I can not take a bath as the water smells bad. But there is no option. We have to drink the same water. The use of dirty water may cause health problems like diarrhoea, skin diseases, etc for everyone,” she added.

Aung Kyaw Soe, chairman of Pauktaw Pyin village youth charity association in Ponnagyun township said, “All three ponds we have in the village have dried up. Now we have to go to our old village for water.”

Rakhine State receives a lot of rain, but the people have to face the drinking water crisis every year as the ponds dry up in the summer season.

When the village ponds dry up, the villagers have to go to other places for water. It affects their socio- economic life. The locals demand the government to plan systematically to ensure water supplies to the people during this period.