Massive Flooding in Pathein District, Myanmar

Massive flooding caused by ongoing heavy rain in these recent weeks (mid July to mid August) has forced thousands of people living in Ayeyarwaddy Division to flee their homes. The flooding displaces thousands in the Delta Region. Pathein district is one of the 6 districts composed of Ayeyarwaddy Division in southern part of Myanmar. The district is located around the city of Pathein (formerly known as Bassein) and includes the urban area of it. The area of the Pathein District is 10900 sq. km. Its population was 1,769,280 according to statistics shown in 2001. The district consists of 7 townships: Pathein , Kangyidaunk ,Tharbaung , Kyonpyaw ,Yekyi , Kyaunggon , Ngapudaw . The district of Pathein contains 48 wards, 519village groups and 2963 villages. In the district of Pathein 85% of population live on agriculture rice farming, and the remaining 15% are fishermen and seasonal workers. Majority of them dwell in the villages around the centers of respective township. Pathein is main city of Ayeyarwaddy division located along the bank of Ngawan river. The main towns in the district can be reached by land roads and by river. In the past 30 years travel by boats in the river was the only means of transportation in the district. Being located in low-lying land areas, Pathein district has been threatened by inundation during raining season. However this year due to ongoing heavy rainfalls for about 3-4 weeks from mid July to now mid August the districts is now flooded and the area is now massive lyaffected. Every year during the months of July, August and September, Ayeyarwaddy division located in Delta region in southern part of Myanmar, gets a lot of rains which sometimes cause inundation in some parts of the region. When there is heavy and continuous and ongoing rainfalls, water level augments and causes flooding in low-lying land areas. This kind of unusual rains and high water level occurred in this recent decade notably one time, in 2004 and second in 2007 and this year 2012 which is now causing more damages and losses than the previous two. In fact, this year the monsoon come later than previous years and only mid of June that the rainfall started in Ayeyarwaddy division. However starting from mid of July, the unusual heavy and continuous rainfall in the whole region of Ayeyarwaddy. Fortunately there is no storm and strong wind blows. After two to three weeks of heavy rains those people who live in low lying land started shifting their property to the safer places expecting to be less affected by the flood like the other previous years. However due to non-stop rains and heavy rainfall, water level augments and floods cover the rice farmlands and houses, causing damages of their properties. Majority of the population are farmers and seasonal workers depend on them for their daily wages to cover their basic needs. The reserved food that the seasonal workers prepared could not stand for more than two weeks in case of disaster. They are the ones currently most affected by the floods. Now what they need is food with which they can move on for some weeks to come. Among 7 townships in Ayeyarwaddy Division, the most affected townships are; Pathein Township, Kangyidaunk Township, Tharbaung Township, Kyonpyaw Township, Yekyi Township , Kyaunggon Township and only Ngaputaw township is exempted. Until now no life is reported lost by the floods, but most of the farmlands, paddy fields are submerged under water and the paddy already planted are now totally destroyed. When the water goes down, the second re-plantation of paddy needs to be resumed, may be in mid of September. The cost of seeds and charges of labors will require much resources from the farmers and seasonal workers. To meet all these challenges the flood affected victims are now badly in need of external helps that would alleviate their suffering and worries. Karuna Pathein (KMSS-Pathein) is now deploying the emergency response staff led by deputy director and accompanied by a volunteer priest from the diocese of Pathein in the townships of Pathein, Kyaunggon, Kanggyidauk and Tharbaung. After doing rapid assessment, the distribution of food items ( 500 sacks of rice) have now distributed to the beneficiaries with cooperation of the parish priests of Ywegone, Eimme, and Paukseinbe and local authority concerned. As the rains do not stop and the water level does not goes down, there is still a huge need to meet the demands of the flood affected victims. Following the protocol of KMSS National and Diocesan Office in case of emerge ncy, KMSS Pathein is now making an urgent appeal to KMSS National Office to coordinate in this endeavor of emergency response to the flood affected victims. Reported from Karuna Pathein Office Diocese of Pathein; August 17,2012 ..............

Workshop on Catholic Social Teaching for Clergy of Diocese of Pathein, Myanmar

Workshop on Catholic Social Teaching for Clergy of Diocese of Pathein, Myanmar -

Seminary strives for self-sufficiency

A slump in foreign funding of seminaries is forcing cash-strapped local Church authorities to start relying on their own devices.

Around 20 minor seminaries across the country are believed to be affected.

Support for minor seminaries from international donors has been on the wane for several years now, says Father John Bosco, rector of the Sacred Heart Minor Seminary in Pathein diocese.

As a result we have been adopting long-term self-sufficiency programs he added.

Since 2006 Pathein diocese has been growing its own rice in a 5-hectare paddy field. This project alone covers 50 percent of the minor seminary’s monthly expenses.

Father John Bosco said expenses usually come to around US$1,000 per month.

Another project is a vehicle workshop and has two ex-seminarians working there

“Currently we’re not making a profit since most of the cars we repair are owned by the diocese. But we aim to make money in the future,” Father John Bosco said.

The seminary serves high school and university level students.

High school level students are asked to pay 50,000 kyat (US$50) per year and university level students have to pay 20,000 kyat to cover food, stationary and tuition fees according to said the rector.

Currently there are some 55 seminarians at the seminary.

“We ask only small contributions from seminarians because they might be put off trying for the priesthood if we charged too much like regular boarding schools,” Father John Bosco explained.

Former seminarians from the diocese are also helping out during these hard times.

Francis Ye Lwin 56, president of the ex-seminarians association, said each former seminarian in the association is looking to provide a rice bag per year.

We are also encouraging donations from local parishioner he said.

“I believe the seminary will be able to cope when outside assistance stops,” Ye Lwin added.

Related reports
Seminaries strive for self-sufficiency as funds dry up
Parishioners Offer Alms As Church Aims For Self-reliance

Karuna ends Nargis relief programs

Karuna Social Service (KPSS) in Myanmar has placed responsibility for continued recovery efforts in Nargis affected areas in the hands of local villagers ending three years of emergency assistance.

The Catholic Church’s social arm staged the handover to the Village Development Recovery Committee (VDRC) at a special two-day ceremony at the Sacred Heart Minor seminary compound in Mayanchaung, Pathein diocese.

About 100 VDRC members from 21 villages in the Irrawaddy Delta attended the “evaluation and handover” gathering, yesterday and today.

Father Henry Eikhlein, director of the KPSS, described the gathering as a meeting of family members and to hand over Karuna’s tasks to the villagers thereby ending one chapter and starting another.

“Our main aim at this gathering is to have good relationship with the villagers from VDRC and have good discussions,” Raymond Soe Lay, a KPSS livelihood project worker told ucanews.com.

The villagers were able to draw up development programs with us during the two day program, Soe Lay said.

“It’s good to have self-reliance and to be free from depending on others,” Bishop John Hsane Hgyi of Pathein diocese said.

Karuna has done many things to help them over the last three years, now it’s time for villagers to take responsibility and work for the development of their own villages, he said.

“I feel very sad Karuna is stopping their programs but it’s time for us to look after ourselves,” Joseph Than Win, the VRDC leader of Tayokegone village said.

More than 140,000 people died and hundreds of thousands of homes were destroyed when Cyclone Nargis struck the delta in May 2008.

Cyclone Nargis prompts new healthcare plan

Published Date: December 21, 2010

MYANMAR: Bishop John Hsane Hgyi of Pathein diocese, priests and Religious nuns, 43 doctors, nurses and health workers helped organize a diocesan medical team and health knowledge sharing program on that began on Monday and will end tomorrow.

Monsignor Maurice Nyunt Wai, vicar general of Pathein diocese, said the cyclone Nargis triggered the healthcare idea that originated 10 years ago.

“We organized the medical team with the aim of networking between church-run clinics in Pathein and health workers from different parishes to carry out effectively in healthcare awareness,” Father Henry Eikhlein, director of Karuna Pathein Social Service (KPSS) told ucanews.com.

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