Cyclone Giri - Two Years On - Burma Action Ireland

Cyclone Giri: Two Years On
[…] more households could be having poor food consumption if they did not get on food
assistance. Furthermore, 40% of household debt is used on food purchases. This implies
that the adequate consumption for some households is not sustainable, and thus the long
term food security situation of households in this area is fragile.” 391
Over 500,000 or 70% of the inhabitants of the four hardest hit townships are food insecure. Those who
are moderately food insecure account for 49.5% (357,948 persons) and severely food insecure is 20.3%
(146,823 persons). Overall, 64% of households have poor food access. 392 The authorities didn’t render
assistance to the flood victims, only some local donors supplied some rice, but it was largely insufficient. 393
In 2011, rice was again in short supply due to the rains and the flooding that damaged production in four
states, including major rice producing states such as Arakan. There was little or no harvest as after July/
August the rice could not be grown anymore. Although monsoon damage to rice crops is normal, the
Myanmar Rice Producers’ Association announced that rice production in 2011 could fall by 1.7 million
tons, a 10 % drop. 394
Most of the affected people in the flooded townships were already living in poverty, but could now be
facing long-term famine. Food shortages were arising due to ravished paddy fields, leading to rising food
and commodities prices, but they were exacerbated by other factors such as wage inflation and increased
transportation costs. 395 Transportation in the state was also very difficult as many bridges and roads,
including many parts of the Rangoon-Sitetway Highway, were destroyed by the heavy rains and flooding. 396
This has also led to all the bus stations in the state being shut down. 397 Many villagers fled to monasteries
and safe places on high land, aggravating food shortages due to overcrowding. 398
A farmer from Kyaukphru Chinkarri Village, Kyaukphru Township, explained the farmers’ predicament,
both for 2011 and 2012 (see interview excerpt 13 in Annexure I):
Currently, most of the cultivated paddy farms have been destroyed by flood and torrential rain.
Additionally, rats have plagued paddy farms and have still not been eradicated. Consequently, the
farmers are now facing famine and a shortage of paddy seeds for re-growing the paddy farms. So it’s a
real problem for next year for food and paddy seeds.”
Water Shortages
Q: Which relief items are most important for you at this moment
A: To be honest, we are in real need of all basic relief items such as rice, drinking water and so on.
Some drinking water arrived in our village, but we never got any drinking water. We were told that
we could get drinking water only when we were ill. I think it’s not fair.
Interviewee from Ngarachai Village, Pauktaw Township (see interview excerpt 10 in Annexure I)
Giri came at the end of the rainy season, making it impossible to rehabilitate ponds and wells and to fill
them up as it would not rain again in the area until May 2011. 399 Hence, four months after Giri struck,
due to this lack of post-monsoon precipitation, the water in the ponds was not yet potable and the Water,
Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) cluster assessment showed that some 120,000 people needed water,
sanitation and hygiene assistance until June 2011. 400 Dara Johnston, UNICEF chief of the WASH cluster
said:
“We are trying to get back to the condition before the cyclone.”
The results of both Cyclone Giri and the flooding in 2011 are still being felt across Arakan State. Food
shortages and contaminated sources of drinking water mean that malnutrition and water borne diseases
are rampant, especially in many rural areas. When we discussed Arakan State’s situation before Giri
struck, it was mentioned that less than half the population had access to clean water (49.5% vs. national
average of 69.4%) – the second worst in Burma. The access to improved sanitation amounted to 54.3%
(national average 79%) – the worst in Burma. 401 In the Giri affected areas, many people suffered from
water access and quality problems. 402 The most affected villages in Marmbra, Mraybon, Pauktaw and
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