Myanmar people continue to struggle after Nargis storm

Six months after Nargis stormed into Myanmar, more than 130,000 people were killed, many people living in the Irrawaddy Delta, the worst affected area, continue to rely on food aid to survive the day.

' We eat beans and rice provided by a charity called Care Myanmar, drink rainwater and catch fish under this river ', Maung Oo, 51, said while staring down at the water that was clapping. into a makeshift hut made of bamboo and tarpaulin.

Around the Pay Kunhasay village where Maung Oo lives, located 40 km south of Yangon, many rice fields are submerged in water and cannot be cultivated, unlike the UN Food and Agriculture Organization's statement that 97% of the region Influenced by the storm in Irrawaddy, once the ' rice bowl of Asia ', is being cultivated again.

A temporary house of a Myanmar couple in Pay Kunhasay village (Photo: Reuters)

' We can't wait until our rice grows. We really hate to live on the relief, 'Maung Oo said. ' We do not want to depend on others, but honestly we do not dare to dream anything at this time because the current situation does not allow us to independently earn a living '.

According to Maung Oo, it may take another four weeks before he can start replanting.

Severe monsoon weather in Irrawaddy in the past four months has also caused people here to suffer, and every storm, big and small, has caused fears that the storm on May 2 will recur.

' We are afraid to die when it gets windy, so we always stick around the radio and listen to the weather to know how dangerous it is, ' said Ma Nu, a resident of Irrawaddy.

According to the Tripartite Core Group between the UN, ASEAN and Myanmar Government, after the overflow of Nargis caused 2.4 million people, nearly 1 million people received food aid; schools are reopened, poultry animals are moved to new places.

Many shelters have also been set up for more than 1.7 million people, however storm victims need to be provided with aid and support in the long term; While statistically, there are only 53% of the 484 million dollars pledged by countries to be transferred to Myanmar.