Photo: A woman fetching water at the Kan Haung displacement camp in Ponnagyun Township in December 2024.

Displaced civilians taking refuge in Arakan State’s Ponnagyun Township are beginning to experience water shortages.

They have faced water shortages since early November and only have limited access to lakes in nearby villages.

“The lakes we had been using have dried up. We have been facing water shortages since early Tazaungmone,” said Ko Zaw Zaw Win from the Kan Haung displacement camp.

The camp, located near Taungnar Village in Ponnagyun Township, houses about 2,000 displaced persons (IDPs). They have been forced to use muddy water from small wells dug near the camp.

Displaced people already facing water shortages in November are concerned about the severe water scarcity they are likely to face in the hot season.

Although donors have been providing water, the high demand means the supply is still insufficient, according to IDPs.

“Even though donors come to supply water, we only get some three pots of water in four or five days. The water we are using now is not clean at all; it has larva in it. This is why we believe we are suffering from skin rashes and diarrhoea,” said Ma Moe Che, a displaced person in Ponnagyun Township.

The Ganantaung and Pyaingtaw displacement camps in Ponnagyun are also beginning to suffer from water shortages.

According to the Ponnagyun Youth Organization, there are more than 60,000 displaced persons from Sittwe, Ponnagyun, and Rathedaung townships taking refuge in Ponnagyun.

Ponnagyun Township faces water shortages annually, and as the number of displaced persons increases, so does the need for water.