Local media and Myanmar junta media reports indicate flooding is worsening in impoverished Rakhine State, in some areas worsening the plight of Cyclone Mocha victims, some of whom are still in need of humanitarian aid.

As heavy monsoon rains continue to fall, all of the main rivers in Rakhine State are flowing above the danger levels, according to the Myanmar Meteorology and Hydrology Department. Of particular concern are the Kalandan and Laymyo rivers that are said to be flowing dangerously high.

Aid organizations had earlier expressed concern that humanitarian aid including shelter materials should have been sent to Cyclone Mocha victims ahead of the monsoon season. However, Myanmar junta red tape is reported to have slowed or blocked aid delivery in a number of areas in Rakhine, with particular concern voiced over the internally displaced people’s camps, including the IDP camps of Muslim Rohingya.

Rakhine Communications Hub has been reporting serious flooding in a number of areas of Rakhine over the last two weeks. The flood situation has worsened particularly in the townships of Mrauk-U, Minbya and Kyauktaw, where thousands of residents have been evacuated, according to Narinjara media. A total of 1,140 people, including 730 women, were shifted from the lower areas of the Kaladan River, Rakhine State Administration Council (RSAC) reported Tuesday.

A RSAC spokesperson noted that following the increase of water level in the Kaladan River, 55 households from Muchaung and 150 households from Kyauk Ta Lone in Kyauktaw Township were evacuated. Similarly, over 1,000 people from Minbya Township were evacuated soon after 20 villages were inundated, he added.

A mother and her baby drowned in flooding in Minbya on 6 August.

According to residents, cars are having difficulty traveling the Sittwe-Yangon Highway in Mrauk-U due to flooding, and the domestic boat service on the Sittwe-Kyaukphyu-Ramree-Taungup route has been suspended.

NGOs have warned that people in IDP camps in Rakhine State are facing problems with shelter due to the damage caused by Cyclone Mocha on 14 May and do not have much food. As of 11 August, there is no update on whether the Myanmar junta and the local authorities have given the green light to international and local humanitarian aid, though some aid has been getting through. The current flooding has worsened the conditions in which NGOs have to operate.