Kantarawaddy Times
Internally displaced people (IDPs) living in eastern Hpruso Township, Karenni State, are facing increasing difficulties in accessing safe drinking water as road access has been cut off due to ongoing security conditions, according to displaced residents.
“In previous years, we could travel as far as the Htee Pow Khu water reservoir to collect water. This year, because the roads are blocked, there is nowhere we can go,” said one displaced man. “It will be even worse in February and March. There is no road access at all to transport water from the eastern side.”
Local residents and displaced communities in eastern Hpruso Township face water shortages every year during the dry season. However, another displaced resident said water sources have already begun to dry up as early as the second week of December this year.
“The reservoir used by both villagers and IDPs is starting to dry up. Only a small amount of water is left, and it is no longer usable,” he said. “There is still one place where water flows, but we can only carry it by bucket. Using machines to transport water is restricted due to security conditions.”
Currently, most villagers and displaced people continue to rely on red-colored water from a red-soil pond, residents said. One IDP camp in eastern Hpruso Township that has begun experiencing water shortages is home to more than 140 households, with a population of over 500 people.
Across Hpruso Township, residents of 48 villages—an estimated population of around 15,000—face recurring water shortages every dry season.
