Water needs grow more urgent in Karenni State during hot season

The Interim Executive Council (IEC) of Karenni (Kayah) State has reported that water is in increasingly short supply in areas under resistance control, with large populations of displaced people facing fresh water shortages. A lack of water is particularly severe in eastern Hpruso Township and western Demoso Township, according to Banyar Khun Aung, who serves as second secretary on the IEC, a civilian led governing body formed in 2023 as an alternative to the junta’s administration in the state. In Karenni State, which is home to some 450,000 people, there is an estimated population of 200,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs). The scarcity of water has been an increasing problem in the state since late 2023, when Karenni resistance forces escalated their attacks on the state capital of Loikaw as well as other junta-controlled urban areas such as Demoso and the nearby southern Shan State towns of Pekhon and Moebye. The increased demand for water, which has reached levels that are now virtually impossible to meet, is a direct result of these developments, according to Banyar Khun Aung. “In some villages, the number of IDPs is two or three times that of the local population,” he told Myanmar Now.. “The population has increased where water sources were already limited. The water storage system has also had limitations from the start. Everyone shares these limited resources.” Power outages caused by ongoing clashes and the country’s poorly maintained energy grid have added to the problem by disrupting the water pumping system, he added. Volunteers have sought to meet demand by carrying water in motor vehicles to camps and villages with large numbers of displaced people. However, the threat from junta airstrikes and artillery in resistance-controlled areas makes the task dangerous and difficult. Transporting sufficient quantities of water also requires large amounts of fuel, and the number of vehicles available is limited. The cost of a typical trip carrying water by truck was around 30,000 kyat (US $15) in 2023, but has now more than doubled. One man helping displaced people in western Demoso Township confirmed the increased cost and noted that the water delivered by a single truckload lasts less than a week at an IDP camp. “The cost of one truckload now ranges from 50,000 to 100,000 kyat,” he said. “Displaced people try to manage this through donations. That’s why I’m calling for help, as many displaced individuals are struggling with the water shortages during this hot season.” “It’s much worse now,” said another man helping the displaced, referring to the scarcity. “The Nan San Hpoo Creek, which people used to rely on, stopped flowing after the earthquake, and when it returned, the water was too muddy.” Residents of western Demoso Township confirmed that the water from the Nan San Hpoo Creek is now so muddy it is unfit for washing clothes, let alone drinking. Banyar Khun Aung told Myanmar Now that the IEC has been seeking and trying to gain access to new water sources, including springs, in Karenni State, and claimed one of the council’s priorities is to expand the water reserves accessible to IDPs. “We need to buy more water,” he said. “We are coordinating with township administration teams to construct water tanks in some areas, and in certain cases, we’re collaborating with aid organisations to enlarge them. Additionally, we plan to build larger tanks to store more water systematically and are working on connecting a pipeline.” The IEC has divided Karenni State into 16 townships for administrative purposes and says it is striving to maintain and provide as many services as possible to the state’s people. Junta troops are still heavily present in Loikaw, the state capital, as well as the urban wards of Bawlakhe, Hpasawng, and Hpruso townships in Karenni State. Skirmishes for control of Bawlakhe and Moebye, southern Shan State are ongoing.

Water needs grow more urgent in Karenni State during hot season

In Karenni (Kayah) State, where more than one-third of the population is displaced, rural areas held by resistance forces have faced worsening water shortages during the dry season

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