UN rights envoy stranded by landslide in Kachin State
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A convoy carrying the United Nations special envoy for human rights, Yanghee Lee, was stranded on Myitkyina-Bhamo road due to a landslide on Tuesday.
Torrential rain in Kachin State led to the landslide on the road past Khala mountain, in Dotphoneyan Township, blocking the route for about five kilometres all around, according to local car drivers.
“I have seen landslides in four places on Khala mountain. Landslides blocked at the entrance and the exit of the mountain. The mass of land was in heap twice the size of two houses. Big trees had fallen down,” driver Zaw Myo Wins said.
The new envoy arrived in Kachin State on Monday and met with government officials. She also visited Waingmaw, Thagara, Thayettaw internally displaced (IDP) camps, before proceeding to Bhamo. On Tuesday, she visited three IDP camps and the local prison and met with local community organisations. At 2pm her convoy was stranded on her return journey to Myitkyina due to the landslide.
Meteorologists warned of potential flash-floods and landslides after a combination of heavy monsoon rains and the knock-on effects of Typhoon Rammasun, in the South China Sea, on Sunday.
Heavy rain late last week caused flooding in some areas near the Thandwe River, which reached swelled to seven feet above the high-water mark, causing some residents to abandon their homes.
“Heavy rain in Putao, Myitkyina, Kani, upper Sagaing and Chin regions as well as rain in lower Myanmar has caused heavy flooding. We have to monitor the situation of river flooding,” said Kyaw Moe Oo, deputy director of the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology (DMH).
Residents spoke of heavy rainfall in many parts of lower Myanmar, especially the Ayeyawady delta region that was prone to seasonal flooding. Many streets of the commercial capital Yangon were flooded by the rains due to poor drainage, causing long traffic jams and congestion that has become a regular feature during the heavy monsoon months.
Govt to construct more low-cost housing
The Construction Ministry has announced that the government plans to construct more low-cost housing, subsidising apartment prices to 10 million kyat per apartment.
Deputy Minister for Construction Soe Tint also told Parliament on Tuesday that the government would reduce the price of housing for government employees and pensioners.
The government is already involved in various low-cost housing projects together with private companies, he said. The projects will depend on the budget from the Union and state governments, land-plot availability as well as the cooperation of private construction companies, the deputy minister said.
Low-cost housing projects are currently underway in Yangon, Mandalay, Magway and Bago regions. The government located about 230,000 land plots for people, including government employees, between 1990 and 2010.
The government is planning to allocate an additional 100,000 or so land plots in various regions and states, the deputy minister said.
