An official of Madaya Township General Administration Department said: “Floods have affected 1,797 acres (727 hectares) of monsoon paddy in villages. We will have to collect the list of crop damages caused by flooding after the flood water has receded.”

Kyaw Lin, the administrator of Zeepingone village-tract said: “The region is facing floods for the second time since the floods in September, 2017 which destroyed betel plantations.

“This is the worst disaster. We re-grew betel plants recently after the foods. Flooding destroyed around 200 betel plantations in our village. We have to spend at least K1.5 million on the input costs for a plantation.

“Flooding also destroyed other crops such as bananas and beans, and swept way houses. The schools remain closed. We can avoid a similar situation in the future only when the water from of Sedawgyi dam is released slowly.” 

A total of 1,328 people from 560 households are taking shelter in their relatives’ houses and on the bank of the dam. 

The floods have started receding in the plantations, but villagers still have to use boats as the floods damaged village-to-village roads.