Monsoon rain submerges villages, fields in Myanmar

Monsoon rains have unleashed severe flooding across central Myanmar, submerging villages and paddy fields and forcing tens of thousands to flee their homes. The deluge has compounded the suffering of those already displaced by the country's ongoing civil war, leaving many with "nothing."

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The suffering we are facing, I can’t even put into words how painful it is.

In the central Sagaing region, a reporter observed villagers standing by upturned boats, their homes inundated by rising waters. Cho Myint, a 53-year-old resident of Wetlet township, described the "painful" situation, stating her family had lost everything. U Sint, another villager, noted that temporary shelters for war refugees were completely submerged, with no possibility of salvaging belongings. The floods have devastated livelihoods, washing away rice seedlings and making further cultivation impossible.

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They couldn’t save anything. It is really terrible.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that since July, approximately 390,000 people have been affected by severe monsoon flooding across Sagaing, Rakhine, Irrawaddy, and Kachin states. Sagaing alone accounts for 230,000 affected individuals. The Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement stated that over 11,400 people from 3,220 households in Sagaing had relocated to flood relief centers as of August 11.

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The rice seedlings have already been swept away... In this area, it’s simply impossible to plant paddy anymore.

Some residents, like Aung Ko in Wetlet, remained behind with limited supplies, relying on instant noodles and bottled water delivered by rescuers. He described drinking boiled floodwater before aid arrived. OCHA spokesman Pierre Peron warned that with major rivers at or above danger levels and ongoing rainfall, the flooding's impact is expected to continue for weeks. The damage to homes, infrastructure, and farmland has intensified humanitarian needs, particularly for essential services and livelihood support. While seasonal monsoons are vital for farmers, climate change is making these weather patterns increasingly erratic and dangerous across the region.

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Before the donors came, we had no choice but to take floodwater and boil it to drink.