The Water Festival, which is traditionally celebrated at the beginning of the rainy season as the Burmese New Year in April, is known as a big, joyful festival in MyanmarDuring these days, people usually dance, laugh and, above all, splash water in the streets - even though clean water has always been a rarity in some regions of Myanmar.
Following the earthquakes of the past few weeks, this situation has worsened dramatically: millions of people no longer have access to drinking water and sanitary facilities, as drinking water pipes were destroyed by the tremors and the water was contaminated in many places. The lack of water has a wide range of negative consequences for the population: without available clean drinking water, there is no way to cool down and prevent dehydration. Hygiene conditions deteriorate massively, allowing epidemics and other infectious diseases to spread rapidly. On the other hand, heatstroke and heart failure are on the rise, with older people and children in particular suffering from the current extremely high temperatures of up to 38 °Celsius. Many people have become homeless and are exposed to the heat, sometimes without protection, in the open air or in tents.
For the vast majority of people, a joyful festival this year is completely unthinkable - some cities and regions have been destroyed to a great extent. Despite the desperate situation in the earthquake regions, the junta refuses to cancel the Thingyan festival celebrations. Despite the humanitarian catastrophe, fighting continues. Various emergency aid teams are working in the affected areas and providing support with medical care, clean drinking water, hygiene and sanitation. Water pipes are being repaired, emergency latrines and rainwater collection kits are being set up and soap and water purification tablets are being distributed. In general, however, international aid is slow to reach the country, which has been ravaged by civil war.
The teams of the Swimming Doctors and the Irrawaddy River Doctors support the earthquake victims with drinking water, water filters, basic foodstuffs, tents, medicines, medical care, the construction of toilets and much more thanks to your numerous donations.
