Mizzima.com-Aug 27
Myanmar’s vulnerability to the climate emergency and the lack of preparedness after years of neglect has contributed to the devastation caused by heavy rains in recent weeks, according to the campaign group Progressive Voice. Flooding in Rakhine State has killed at least six people, major transport links have been significantly damaged in the southeast, while Rohingya attempting to leave Myanmar by boat to find refuge in Malaysia sank after encountering stormy seas and heavy rains.
Progressive Voice believes that the impact of climate change in Myanmar has been created by the rapacious development model of wealthy industrial nations, coupled with a legacy of years of environmental degradation, unsustainable natural resource extraction, and underinvestment in disaster preparedness by successive military juntas and their business cronies. This is disproportionately impacting communities in Myanmar and leaving them with few avenues for redress. However, hope does lie in the indigenous, grassroots initiatives and projects that represent a more sustainable future for the country. Flooding in the past few weeks has caused widespread damage as heavy rains hit much of the country. Across Karen, Mon, Rakhine States and Bago Region, over 30,000 people had to be evacuated as floodwaters rose.
In Karen State, sections of one of the most important transport links – the Asia Highway that runs from Myawaddy near the Thai border and Kawkareik – collapsed while sections of the Mawlamyine-Yangon highway in Mon State were underwater. Read more at:
https://www.mizzima.com/article/myanmar-vulnerable-climate-emergencies-says-ngo–
