The junta released water from the Mobye Dam in Mobye (Mongpai) Town, Pekon Township, southern Shan State, flooding over 1,000 acres of farmland and inundating nearby communities.
Since late July, Taunggyi District in southern Shan State has been experiencing heavy daily rainfall, triggering powerful mountain torrents across Pinlaung, Pekon, and Nyaungshwe Townships, and causing water levels in Pekon Lake to rise. The Mobye Dam has also surpassed its storage capacity due to the continuous downpours.
On August 2, the junta’s Light Infantry Battalion 422 (LIB 422), based in Mobye Town, released a large volume of water from the dam, flooding over 1,000 acres of farmland and impacting approximately 800 people.
“The water levels in Inle Lake and Pekon Lake rose really quickly, and the Mobye Dam overflowed as well. So, the junta released water from the dam. Because of that, many rice fields were flooded, and around 800 people in nearby communities have been affected,” said an official from the Phekon Shan Youth Network, a local aid organization.
He added that the water released from the dam flooded several low-lying wards in Mobye Town and around 10 villages along the banks of the Balu Chaung River.
“More than 1,000 acres of rice fields were submerged, mostly in areas around Mobye Town. In total, about 800 people from villages along the Balu Chaung River were affected,” he said.
The flooded areas include Nyaungwaing Ward in Mobye Town, Hpaungtaw, Hpayarhpyu, and Hpayarni villages in Karenni State’s Loikaw Township and several settlements along the Balu Chaung River. Residents have temporarily taken shelter in monasteries and on higher ground.
A 40-year-old resident told Shan Herald that the water level in the Balu Chaung River area of Loikaw City, the capital of Karenni State, has only risen slightly following the release of water from Mobye Dam.
“The water level in Loikaw went up just a little, but the villages along the Balu Chaung River to the north got hit much harder by the flooding,” she said.
Similarly, Inle Lake in Shan State’s Nyaungshwe Township has experienced rising water levels from continuous daily rainfall, flooding some lakeshore houses, an Inle Lake area resident reported.
In August 2024, LIB 422 released water from Mobye Dam, causing flooding in Nyaungwaing Ward, Hpaungtaw, Hpayarhpyu, and Hpayarni villages, as well as in some settlements along the Balu Chaung River, areas that have been suffering from floods, for about a month.
