Thousands of residents of Kachin State’s capital Myitkyina are trapped in their homes due to severe flooding, local residents said Monday.
Most parts of the town are now flooded after the water level of the Irrawaddy River reached more than 1.5 meters above the critical level on Monday afternoon.
The water level of the river has been rising since the early evening of June 28, exceeding the critical level by over 75 cm at around 11 p.m. on June 30 and by over 1.5 meters by Monday afternoon, according to the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology.
“We are trapped in our home and cannot contact the rescue team. Most parts of the town are severely flooded and people need to be evacuated. The water level has almost reached the second floor of our home,” a resident of Myitkyina’s Sitapur Ward told The Irrawaddy on Monday afternoon.
According to residents, Sitapur, which is close to the bank of the Irrawaddy River, along with Rampu, Khaymathiri, Lal Kone, Myo Thit Gyi and Kyatt Paung Chan wards, were the worst-hit areas, having been inundated since Sunday night.
Situated at 476 feet above sea level, Myitkyina had a population of 243,031 in 2014, according to that year’s census.
At present, almost the entire town is flooded and over 20 wards are severely affected. Seven rescue teams including firefighters are helping to evacuate residents, but the process has been slow due to a lack of rescue workers and the fact that mobile phone services are down in some areas, make it difficult for victims to call for help.
“The water level is continuing to rise as of this afternoon. It’s still raining and the electricity has been cut,” a resident of Kyun Pin Thar Ward said.
He said the floods were the most severe to hit the Kachin State capital since the catastrophic 2004 floods. Currently, the water level in Myitkyina is almost as high as it was in that year, according to Kachin State Department Meteorology and Hydrology official U Naing Lin Htwe.
As of Monday afternoon, in some wards like Kyatt Paung Chan and Rampu, residents reported the water level was measured at 7 feet (213 cm) above the usual street level. Despite the lack of rescue boats and workers, almost 2,000 people have been evacuated, a resident said.
According to the department, the level of the Irrawaddy River surged 5 feet above critical on Monday afternoon and it is expected to reach 7 feet above critical over the next two days.
