Monsoon threatens to worsen Myanmar’s earthquake disaster, aid groups warn
A view from Taikkyi Township, 50 miles southeast of Myanmar’s commercial capital of Yangon on August 21, 2016 as many villages in the Taikkyi Township have been suffering the flood since last week. (AA Photo)
As Myanmar struggles to recover from the catastrophic 7.7 magnitude earthquake that struck last week, claiming thousands of lives, aid workers and experts are raising alarms that the upcoming monsoon season could create a deadly “domino effect,” intensifying the hardship of survivors already facing loss, injury, and displacement.
The earthquake, which has claimed over 3,000 lives, left hundreds missing and thousands injured, making it the deadliest natural disaster Myanmar has faced in years. Its impact is even more severe for a nation already devastated by years of civil conflict following the military coup in 2021.
As humanitarian demands grow, U.N. officials have cautioned that Myanmar’s impending monsoon season will exacerbate the already dire crisis, urging prompt international intervention. On Wednesday, the military announced a three-week ceasefire, lasting until April 22, to facilitate “effective rescue operations and rehabilitation” against armed opposition groups.
The U.N., along with other humanitarian organizations like the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), has urged for increased aid efforts before the monsoon season arrives, warning that the combination of damaged infrastructure, insufficient shelter, and a weakened healthcare system could lead to a devastating secondary disaster.
Myanmar faces another disaster: monsoon
Before the earthquake, over 3.5 million people in Myanmar had already been displaced, and almost half of the population was living below the poverty line, with damaged civilian, healthcare, and communication infrastructure.
Given these dire conditions, the upcoming monsoon season is expected to further exacerbate the already fragile situation, according to Unni Krishnan, the global humanitarian director at Plan International, a key organization involved in the response, in an interview with Anadolu.
Health and aid organizations warn that waterborne diseases such as cholera, diarrhea, and typhoid are major threats during the rainy season, particularly when communities are forced to use contaminated water sources for drinking.
