Mandalay residents struggling to clear city after earthquake devastation

Mandalay remains largely buried under rubble three weeks after the quake that struck Myanmar last month, with residents saying they have had to try making the city liveable again themselves with little help. A middle-aged woman from Mandalay—Myanmar’s second-most populous city, which incurred some of the worst damage seen in the country from the quake—told Myanmar Now that there are still damaged or toppled buildings and debris everywhere, covering large swaths of the city.. “We’re still clearing, but it feels like endless work,” she said. “No matter how hard we try, we can’t finish because there is debris strewn all over. The entire city is in ruins, like a scene from a disaster movie.” She added that it will be necessary to remove the bodies of the many people who died in the quake, or could not be rescued from the rubble, to prevent the spread of disease. “It’s rare for collapsed buildings to have no fatalities,” she explained. “Many bodies are still trapped underneath. And even some of the newly built houses have sunk and sustained damage.” Slow progress of demolitions There is also an urgent need to demolish buildings that were damaged in the quake and are now at risk of collapsing. Mandalay City Development Committee (MCDC) issued a statement saying they were working steadily to help residents who requested the demolition of structures on their property via an advanced registration system. However, some residents said officials had been charging tens of millions of kyat (the equivalent of thousands of American dollars) to demolish buildings, making the service unaffordable to many. According to the woman from Mandalay who spoke to Myanmar Now, the MCDC has been offering the service for free, prioritising demolitions according to their urgency. However, progress has been slow due to the sheer extent of damage across the city, she said. “The buildings being cleared are in very poor condition, and even those aren’t completed yet. The process is too slow,” she remarked. “There may be cases where building owners in the uncleared areas collude with junior staff or bribe them to prioritise the buildings on their property, although I can’t say for sure.” International rescue teams and domestic aid organisations are operating in Mandalay, but lack sufficient heavy machinery to clear rubble efficiently.Residents said junta troops had been deployed to stand guard during debris-clearing operations at prominent sites such as the Mahamuni Pagoda, Masoyein Monastery, the Mandalay moat, and the U Hla Thein Beikhman hall, which collapsed due to the quake, trapping more than 100 monks who were taking an exam at the time. Damage in Mandalay after the earthquake (Photo: Myanmar Now) Severe weather adds to quake victims’ troubles The earthquake has forced many Mandalay residents to stay in camps for displaced people. One woman living in Mandalay said recent heavy rains and strong winds have worsened conditions for survivors, stressing the urgent need for shelter. “Temporary shelters have yet to be fully arranged,” she said. “With the rain and strong winds keeping up, these residents need secure, weatherproof shelter.” The woman, a family acquaintance of several civil servants, added that the quake had left a great deal of government staff housing in ruins, forcing administrative employees to construct their own makeshift shacks or tents as a temporary measure. “While the buildings haven’t all collapsed, they are uninhabitable for safety reasons and the staff are no longer allowed to stay there,” she explained. “That’s why they have been forced to build their own huts.” “Because of the insufficiency of temporary shelters, many administrative staff who used to have their housing provided are suffering the same as all other displaced survivors,” she added. Aftershocks have occurred in Mandalay and surrounding areas, causing more buildings to collapse and stoking residents’ fear and anxiety. Many of the city’s residents are still choosing to sleep outdoors, with some ultimately choosing to move to displacement camps. Residents reportedly ran from their homes in a panic as two such aftershocks hit Mandalay on Sunday. The emergency aid camps for the displaced have been set up on monastery grounds, the premises of charitable organisations, and sport grounds such as football fields. According to figures from a military council statement issued on April 17, the earthquake is confirmed to have caused 3,668 deaths and injured 4,824 people around the country, with 129 people reported missing.

Mandalay residents struggling to clear city after earthquake devastation

Three weeks on, people remaining in the city said they have been left to handle debris removal on their own, with minimal support from the military or junta-controlled administrative departments

Subscribe for full access

Across a border and into a war: A Karenni leader’s final journey

When going home is impossible: Myanmar nationals find solace in Singapore’s Peninsula Plaza

The Russian general behind Moscow’s decades-long military courtship of Myanmar

Explainer: Who are the companies and cronies backing Myanmar junta leader’s Thailand visit?

Subscribe for full access

Related Articles

Poland blocks sale of 250 tonnes of contaminated Myanmar rice

Myanmar resistance drones strike junta airbase near Mandalay airport

Myanmar military, MNDAA move to strengthen positions amid rising tensions

Five killed in Myanmar junta airstrikes in retaliation for attack by PDF forces