[Myanmar] Rains to Hit Tenasserim; Ease Up in Rangoon, Mon State and Karen State

People push a car out of flood waters in front of downtown Rangoon’s City Hall in August. (Photo: Emily Zin / The Irrawaddy)

RANGOON — The Department of Meteorology and Hydrology on Tuesday warned of more heavy rains in southern Burma’s Tenasserim Division, but said other parts of the country where there have been fears of flooding, including Rangoon, will be dryer in coming days.

Than Naing, a staff officer at the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology, said heavy monsoon rains will begin to subside in northern parts of lower Burma on Wednesday.

“There have been heavy rains at some places in the Irrawaddy delta as the monsoon has been strong in Andaman Sea,†Than Naing said.

“Tenasserim Division will have heavy rain tomorrow [Wednesday], while in Mon State, Karen State and Rangoon, the rain will be less heavy,†said Than Naing.

“Sea waves [in the Andaman Sea] will be moderate to big and the wind force will be between 35 and 40 mph.â€

The monsoon season in Burma, which peaks in August, runs from June to September. But the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology has warned of heavy rains in the final days of this month.

In Rangoon, weekend rain and a thunder storm Monday night have left water levels high in some of the streets of Burma’s commercial capital, blocking the passage of commuters and leading to traffic backlogs.

“Today there were bad traffic jams,†U Kayin, a taxi driver in Rangoon, said Tuesday.

“Usually, I drive for 15 minutes to travel from 8 mile bus stop to Hledan Market, it took one-and-a-half hours today.â€

In the north of Burma this month, flooding displaced more than 500 households in Mandalay and Sagaing divisions. Than Naing said there would be more rain coming in upper Sagaing Divison and Kachin State.

In August, over 37,000 people were affected and at least three were killed during flooding in Karen and Mon States. Myawaddy, on the Burma-Thailand border, was among the worst-affected areas. Some 4,000 were affected in Mon State’s Belin Township.

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