Natural Disasters

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Natural disasters
Burma is one of the least developed nations in the world and its infrastructure and transportation links are considered to be very weak in relation to other countries in South East Asia.  

Monsoon rain
Every year nationwide heavy monsoon rain destroys up to 250,000 hectares of rice fields and around 100,000 people are displaced. The death and missing people toll rises up to 1000 each time and more than 100,000 homes are destroyed including loss of livestock.

Famine and drought
In recent years, Burma has continued to experience temperatures as high as as 45 degree Celsius, and rain fall is late, causing shortages of water in many parts of Burma. Many streams, rivers, wells, ponds and water reservoirs have dried up as a consequence. People are having to resort to drinking cloudy and unhygienic water. Diarrhea outbreaks were also reported in many parts of the country. Due to the shortage of water, unclean water and heat rash, many people, livestock and fish have died. Crops and vegetation have been ruined as a consequence.

Earthquakes
Earthquakes are relatively common in Burma, they have claimed thousands of lives in the last 10 years. Every time an earth quake strikes, it leaves many people dead, missing people, destroyed roads, houses, places of worship, businesses, floods and trigger landslides.

Cyclones
Cyclone Nargis struck in May 2008 and caused the worst natural disaster in the recorded history of Burma. The cost of damages caused, estimated over £6 billion, leaving 135,000 people dead, 60,000 people missing, over 70,000 houses being destroyed, over a million of livestock being lost, businesses and fishing industries were destroyed. 2.5 million people were severely affected and displaced. For a month, most water sources such as rivers and canals, were littered with dead bodies, animal carcasses, sewage, dirt, mud and contaminated with fecal matter and bacteria. Up to today over 1 million people are still living in fear, shortage of water, shortage of medical health and living in miserable conditions. 

Two days after the disaster our associated team on the ground immediately delivered food, clothes and drinking water to affected areas. Groups of Doctors and nurses of The Burma Free Muslim Hospital have continued to fulfill the humanitarian appeal without any kind of discrimination and have and are still continuing to provide emergency medical aid to the disadvantaged. We have built over 25 new wood and bamboo houses in the Dala division for desperate families.

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