Flooding in Kyauktaw Township, Arakan State

Flooding in Kyauktaw Township, Arakan State

Heavy rainfall has caused serious flooding in Kyauktaw Township villages on the road between Kyauktaw Town and Mrauk-U Town in neighbouring Mrauk-U Township in Arakan (Rakhine) State.

On 2 June 2025, the Kyauktaw Township villages of Thayattapin, Saparsate, Ywarmapyin, Kyauktalone, and Nyaungchaun on the road from Kyauktaw Town to Mrauk-U, the ancient capital of the Arakan Kingdom, were flooded.

A Kyauktaw Township resident said: “All the roads in the villages are flooded, while some areas have water up to waist level. Cars and motorbikes can't be used at all right now, and even some of the markets are submerged.”

Residents of flood-affected areas have had to relocate to higher ground and are having difficulty accessing food and cooking materials.

Heavy rain started in Arakan State on 26 May and it has continued since, leading to flash floods caused by rain run-off from hills and flooding in coastal areas caused by rising sea levels.

The junta’s Department of Meteorology and Hydrology has issued a warning that strong monsoon winds over the Bay of Bengal, adjacent to Arakan State, could bring heavy rainfall to Arakan State and neighbouring regions in the coming days.

In 2024, heavy rain led to flooding in the Arakan State townships of Kyauktaw, Mrauk-U, and Ponnagyun that impacted tens of thousands of people.

Health officials conduct a field inspection during a previous diarrhea outbreak in Yangon’s Tamwe Township. (MOI)
August 18, 2026
A severe outbreak of cholera and acute diarrhea is spreading across Myanmar's commercial capital...
Residents scale a hill to catch mobile phone signals following telecommunications blackouts in the wake of Cyclone Mocha in May 2023.
August 17, 2026
Digital rights violations and telecommunications restrictions remained widespread across Myanmar...
Photo: (DMG) Kyauktaw Town, pictured in 2022.
August 15, 2026
A surge in burglaries and vehicle thefts across several townships controlled by the Arakan Army...
August 14, 2026
Military junta airstrikes have triggered at least 11 mass-casualty events in Myanmar’s Rakhine...