Widespread flooding in Myanmar affects thousands

A man sits on the roof of his home at a flooded village in the Thar Pound township delta area, in the Irrawaddy Division August 21, 2012. REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun

BANGKOK (AlertNet) - More than 75,000 people in Myanmar desperately need help after heavy rains flooded hundreds of villages and large swathes of farmland, the ACT Alliance of church organisations said in a statement.

Two weeks of continuous rains have flooded six regions and caused extensive damage to crops, houses, livestock and infrastructure - including roads - hampering aid agencies' access to the affected areas, ACT Alliance said.

The worst affected areas are the Irrawaddy Delta (which also suffered extensive damage from Cyclone Nargis in 2008), Pagu, Kayin, Mon and Taninthayi regions.

The rainy season in Myanmar this year has also brought the worst floods in half a century to Lashio, the largest city in Shan State in eastern Myanmar, killing at least one person and leaving hundreds homeless, reported The Irrawaddy.

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