Previously, in October 2010, the area was hit by Cyclone Giri.

U Maung Kyaw Thein, a resident of Loudrade Village said: “There is no drinking water in our village. The people have to carry water from far away. Some villagers are even forced to fetch water from dirty ponds, which were used for feeding domestic cows and buffaloes. That is how we are living.”

There are 273 families in Loudrade Village, but most of the houses in the village were destroyed by Cyclone Giri. There are five important ponds in the village, but they have now all dried up because of the present heat wave.

“We face the drought every year but this year it is the worst. Every family in the area is suffering today because of the ongoing drought." added U Maung Kyaw Thein.

Another village in the area that was hit by Cyclone Giri, Ngwe Twindu, also faces water shortages. There are over 500 families in the village, but it has only two major ponds.

U Maung Tun Yin said: “We are getting the water from Ngataught Chay village, for which the villagers have to make a three hour long trip. Sometimes, we cannot sleep while waiting for the water. Many times, we have to use a boat to carry water for our villagers.”

A few other families have to walk to Sittra village for drinking water. The village women are now demanding more ponds in their localities.

Another nearby village, Kanthar Village, has over 300 families, but it has only three useful ponds, which are now almost dried up

U Khaing Aung from Kanthar Village said that the villages on Lama Island, near to Ngwe Twindu and Kanthar, are also suffering from droughts. The villagers have to travel almost four miles to get water when they go to Watkunng village for drinking water, which means they are losing working hours every day.

Other villages, including Pay Kauk, Dagon, Kaung Phyu and Ray Kaung Shin are also facing water shortages.

U Khaing Aung said that the temperature is continuing to soar this year and that rampant deforestation in the area has made the situation more problematic.

Narinjara News contacted Myaybon township administrator’s office, but the officer on duty said that they had no information about the drought. But, the officer assured Narinjara that they would deliver drinking water by boat very soon. He also said that he hoped that a permanent solution to the problem would be found after discussing the matter with the affected villagers.

Edited for BNI by Mark Inkey