drc.dk: Assistance Still Needed for the Delta in Myanmar

Assistance Still Needed for the Delta in Myanmar

08.06.10

Category: Relief work, Asia

Another season of Monsoon rain and tropical storms is going to hit areas still recovering from the cyclone Nargis. Danish Refugee Council (DRC) will distribute ceramic filters for safe drinking water, construct ponds and wells to help the population cope.

800.000 houses were destroyed or damaged when the cyclone Nargis struck Myanmar/Burma in 2008. Thousands of people in the southern delta are still displaced living in temporary shelters and therefore exposed as another Monsoon season of tropical storms and heavy rain sets in.

“One of our most pressing tasks is assisting people in accessing safe drinking water. Due to the delay of the monsoon rains, low or dried reserves contained contaminated water with a high salt-content. Now that the rainy period has started water is all over the place, but it is highly polluted. It is a no-win situation for the people in the area and therefore assistance to accessing safe drinking water is vital.’ says DRC Head of Asia Desk,“ Aracely Jimenez Andersen.

The humanitarian challenges in the southern deltas demands acute as well as long-term strategies.

“The southern delta areas were hit hard in 2008 – assistance has been provided but it takes a lot of resources to get the population in the Delta region back on track. Our short term strategy is to distribute water filters and construct wells or ponds to secure safe drinking water. In a longer perspective our strategy will include construction of permanent houses to replace temporary shelters, schools to make sure children have access to education and livelihood projects to assist families in building a future for themselves,” says Aracely Jimenez Andersen.

DRC have established a humanitarian program in Myanmar/Burma based on funding from own funds and several Danish Companies in order to contribute to the recovery of the Delta.

Photo: UNHCR/Taw Naw Htoo

Back to: News