Several Agricultural and Human Losses Reported from Recent Storm

Minbya: Thousands of acres of cultivated fields were reportedly damaged and a number of human casualties occurred during the tropical storm that crossed into northern Arakan State in western Burma on the 19th of October.

Local residents said the heavy shower of rain just after the storm made landfall triggered flashfloods and submerged thousands acres of ripe paddy fields along the banks of Laymyo River and its tributary creeks in Minbya Township in Northern Arakan on the night of the 20th.

"Several acres of paddy corps that were almost ripe along the banks of Panmyaunggyi and Phonethar creeks in Minbya Township were devastated and around the area of the Phonethar Creek, nearly 5,000 acres of the cultivated paddy were submerged under the flash flood, all the crops have been damaged", said one of the local residents from the area.

Panmyaunggyi and Phonethar creeks are tributaries of the Laymyo River in the township and many paddy fields on the lower areas along banks of the river were also said to be submerged and destroyed due to the flash flood in the river.

A shopkeeper from Panmyaung Market also said at least 10 people were killed in the upper area of Panmyaung Town in Minbya Township, near where the Laymyo River originates.

"Because of incessant heavy rains after the storm, the flashfloods occurred in the creeks of Loo, Wak and Shwelaung at upper Laymyo River on that night and washed away at least 10 people who were killed. So far we have found three bodies of those killed floating in the lower part of the river", said the shopkeeper.

He said that much of the peanut, chili, sesame and cotton crops were covered by muddy flood water rushing from the nearby mountains and destroyed, though there was not much damages to the paddy fields in Panmyaung. A Buddhist monk from the area also said over 100 acres of paddy were covered with muddy floods and destroyed in some villages in southern Minbya Township as well.

"As the storm caused heavy rains, mudslides coming down with the rain water from the nearby mountains covered the paddy cultivations in the villages of Mintat, Nyaungkhrun, Kaunnchaung and Uthataung insouthern Minbya and all the paddy crops have fallen in those villages. Now all villagers who are living off of the paddy cultivations are greatly troubled. They have written appeals for government aid through the Rakhine Party, but no governmental response has yet been given", said the monk.

The residents also said the moderate storm that made landfall into the northern part of Arakan State in the evening of the 19th of October caused incessant heavy rains triggering intense flashfloods, never before experienced in the Laymyo River and its tributaries,but the government is still neglecting to investigate the natural calamity nor to give necessary assistance to the affected people.