The humanitarian disaster after the Myanmar’s earthquake is getting out of hand. The 7.4-magnitude earthquake on March 28 claimed 3,471 lives, injured thousands, and left many more homeless. Survivors are now confronted with a triple crisis—natural disaster, rapidly spreading disease threats, and renewed conflict. Unseasonal rains have inundated overcrowded camps, and fears of cholera and other lethal waterborne diseases have been raised. Meanwhile, the military resumed its attacks, shattering a temporary ceasefire and cutting off aid to hardest-hit regions.
Relentless Rains Fuel Health Crisis
Torrential rains saturated quake-devastated regions at the weekend, aggravating the conditions of those who took shelter under tarpaulins or slept outdoors. High temperatures and water stagnation have increased the risk of disease. Relief agencies are worried that cholera would spread quickly in already traumatized communities.
Despite attempts by India, China, and ASEAN nations to deliver relief, much of the devastated area is still out of reach in Myanmar. Destroyed infrastructure, lack of communication, and continued fighting keep aid workers away. Whole villages are isolated, and basic commodities haven’t reached many who need them most.
Tom Fletcher, the UN’s highest humanitarian official, has urged rapid, concerted international action. “We must deliver tents and hope to survivors as they try to rebuild their shattered lives,” he said. His comments echo mounting fears that additional people will perish—not from the earthquake itself, but from the breakdown of response systems that should be assisting them to recover.
Ceasefire Crumbles as Military Escalates Violence
The quake hit a country already devastated by civil war. More than 3 million have been displaced since the 2021 coup, and public services have all but disintegrated. A ceasefire declared last week had briefly given hopes of a lull in fighting. But airstrikes resumed as quickly as they had stopped, attacking civilians in Karenni and Shan states.
Free Burma Rangers documented a minimum of seven air raids since the ceasefire. The attacks killed civilians and made relief delivery virtually impossible. The junta is still preventing relief efforts in opposition-held areas, making an already enormous crisis into a humanitarian horror.
Myanmar’s crisis is now not just a natural disaster. It’s a human made emergency that calls for swift and firm global intervention.
