Parts of downtown Hpakant in Kachin State—often described as Myanmar’s jade capital—have been hit by flooding after more than a week of relentless rain, leaving many residents struggling to move around the town.

Residents said near-daily downpours over the past week caused water to spill into roads and homes in low-lying wards, forcing locals to cope with worsening flood conditions.

“Because the rain hasn’t let up, the Uyu River has swollen and overflowed. Flooding has hit the jade trading site and areas around Hngetpyawtaw Ward, and local people have had to take temporary shelter at a monastery near Kyauseintaung,” a Hpakant resident told MNJ.

As the Uyu River continued to rise, around 80 households from low-lying areas near the jade trading site—including Hngetpyawtaw, Myoma and Ayemyatharyar wards—were temporarily displaced.

On the morning of June 21, a heavy rain-triggered landslide in Mawwan 3 Ward reportedly damaged several homes.

Water levels in Mawwan Creek also began rising again on June 20, causing water to flow into residential wards and disrupting the lives of some residents and market vendors.

Flooding has been reported in low-lying parts of Hpakant since June 13, when heavy rain began falling without pause.

Residents report that these low-lying wards flood almost every rainy season.

With roads submerged, transport has become increasingly difficult. Residents trying to reach safer ground have had to rely mainly on boats, another Hpakant local said.

Hpakant suffers severe flooding and landslides every year during the monsoon season, and low-lying wards bear the brunt of the damage.