Hundreds of thousands of residents of Mandalay are still sheltering in tents after the March 28 earthquake, enduring temperatures of up to 42°C.
“The weather has been too hot to sleep. There have been many sleepless nights,” said Ko Aung of Chanmyathazi Township, whose house was damaged by the quake.
The earthquake damaged more than 10,000 buildings in Mandalay, with many people fearing sleeping in cracked homes during repeated aftershocks and opting to sleep in tents instead.
Others are sheltering with relatives, on football pitches, in schools or camps.
The average April daytime temperature was around 40°C in Mandalay, according to the junta’s Department of Meteorology and Hydrology.
Tens of thousands of people displaced by fighting from Shan and Kachin states and Sagaing Region taking refuge in Mandalay were also affected by the earthquake.
A displaced Hpakant resident from Kachin State said: “We struggle to sleep because of the heat. The temperature only drops after 4am. I have suffered from low blood pressure as I could not sleep and I needed to see a doctor.”
Save the Children reported last week that around 42,000 quake-hit people were in temporary shelters that cannot withstand monsoon rain and extreme heat.
Many of the displaced lack access to reliable sources of clean water, which are crucial to limiting the spread of water- and mosquito-borne disease such as cholera and dengue and skin infections, it said.
The World Health Organization warned of rapidly rising health threats for tens of thousands of displaced people in earthquake-affected areas. Overcrowded shelters, poor sanitation, damaged infrastructure and limited health services are driving up the risk of vector- and water-borne diseases, it said.
According to residents, medical teams from China, India, Russia and Thailand are providing health care for earthquake victims at public and temporary hospitals in Mandalay.
Many residents are struggling to have their partially collapsed homes demolished and cleared as the regime is barely providing any assistance.
An Amarapura Township volunteer helping earthquake victims said: “There are large piles of debris to clear away while assistance has significantly declined. Not much has changed since the March 28 earthquake.”
Residents, community groups and firefighters have been clearing debris and demolishing unsafe and damaged buildings by themselves.
More than 150 aftershocks have been reported by the meteorology department. The regime has reported 3,769 earthquake deaths with 107 people still missing.
The junta-controlled Mandalay Region government said it provided compensation of 1.8 million kyats to family members of each of the 2,152 victims killed by the earthquake and had distributed a month’s food to 137,081 affected people on April 28.
Twenty-six countries have provided over 3,800 tons of relief and rescue equipment, according to the regime.
Deputy junta chief Soe Win said he has distributed 60 billion kyats for Mandalay Region and 50 billion kyats for Sagaing Region with donations provided from domestic and international donors.
But nearly 2 million people are still in urgent need of aid, according to the International Organization for Migration.
