Cyclone-affected areas yet to properly recover
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Five years have passed since Cyclone Nargis struck Myanmar, but the livelihoods of the most affected areas in the Ayeyawaddy Delta have yet to return to normal, locals say.
Cyclone Nargis had a devastating impact on the fishing, shrimp farming, agriculture and salt industries in the region.
According to Hla Myint, a farmer from Yaywai village of Labutta Township, the agriculture business has suffered losses for four straight years due to a lack of embankments to prevent saltwater intrusion and unexpected rainfall.
“We used to have [embankments] to prevent saltwater but they were destroyed by Nargis. The embankments haven’t been repaired yet. It’s been five years since the storm, but nobody has come. Some charity groups came to look at them, but left later,” Hla Myint said.
“We were able to repair them on our own when our businesses were going well in the past. But now, we can’t raise our crops due to the saltwater intrusion. We can’t do anything as we suffer losses every year. It’s not just our island, other islands are suffering like us as well. It is difficult to support ourselves for long if this continues,” he said.
Last year, rice production in Labutta Township was between 250 kilograms to 800kg per half a hectare and the price was between 290,000 and 330,000 kyat (Bt9,600- 10,950) for 2 tonnes of rice. Inland villages in Labutta also suffered due to unexpected rain.
Tin Ohn from Pyinsalu sub-township in Labutta said most fishermen had died in the storm and those still alive did not have enough money to support the recovery of the once-flourishing industry.
“When we had problems in the past, we could borrow money or equipment from wholesalers and pay them back after we catch the fish. Now, we have to struggle because nobody will loan us any money,” Tin Ohn said.
