Monsoon Rains Inundate Rangoon

Schoolgirls walk with their father along a flooded street as they return from school, during heavy rainfall in central Rangoon on Aug. 22, 2013. (Photo: Reuters / Soe Zeya Tun)

Heavy rains inundated several streets in downtown Rangoon and other parts of Burma’s commercial capital on Thursday.

In some areas, floodwaters at knee and thigh height made life difficult for residents of Rangoon, a city in which thousands of people, from factory workers to bankers, rely on public transportation. Street vendors were also forced to suspend their operations due to flooding of the roads on which they would normally do business, as pedestrians waded through streets and vehicles made slow progress in heavy traffic caused by the waters.

Despite Burma’s political opening up and reforms on many fronts over the last two years, the municipal department of its largest city remains subject to criticism for its failure to handle flooding, growing traffic congestion, unreliable water and electricity supplies, and waste management.

The monsoon season in Burma, which peaks in August, runs from June to September.