Nearly 1 million affected by Myanmar floods; 99 dead

The Australian government says it will continue to work closely with the Myanmar government and partners to ensure that our humanitarian assistance is meeting the needs of the most affected communities.

People sit on a boat near their home in a flooded village outside Zalun Township, Irrawaddy Delta, Myanmar, August 6, 2015.

Phyu Lei Lei Tun, director of the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement, says that 99 people have died and that 900,000 others have been affected by the floods. The majority of people living here are impoverished.

The New Light of Myanmar state-run newspaper said water levels in the Irrawaddy and Ngawun rivers had fallen slightly on Sunday, but remained at risk of bursting their banks.

Rice crop has been destroyed on 100,000 acres, according to the agriculture ministry.

“There is some criticism that the government response is too slow, but compared with Nargis…it is a huge improvement”, said political analyst Kyaw Lin Oo.

The United Nations has pledged $9 million in aid, the AP added.

Although flood response is expected to be a major factor in the country’s November elections, the French Press Agency reports that numerous residents affected by the flooding didn’t turn to government aid as the floodwaters rose.

Eight people perished in flood in Mandalay, followed by Sagaing region with seven and Shan state with six, while the death toll in Chin state, caused by landslide following torrential rain, had reached four.

This time, he was quick to visit affected areas, and at a shelter yesterday he sipped a glass of water from a purification plant in a gesture aimed at reassuring locals it was safe to drink. Almost 200 people lost their lives in India and Pakistan, with millions displaced in the latter.