Knowledge for life: 7 ways to predict floods in Myanmar, and how to best prepare
In parts of Myanmar where it floods every year; families have relied on nature’s warnings to indicate forthcoming danger, preparing them to react to raging weather.
The older residents of the Delta region believe that if one was to watch nature’s clues closely, you will be able to predict the weather.
If you have a plan in place, you’ll be able to survive. Today, nine-year-old Wint is tucked beside her grandmother, sitting in front of their house, learning nature’s signs.
1. Feel the lemongrass
“Gently feel the lemongrass from the root to the top. If you find a node one-third from the bottom, it is said that rain will come in July. If it’s around the middle it’s supposed to be in August, and if it is up in the top-third, heavy rains are expected in September,” 76-year-old Phwar Chit tells.
"What we look out for is the indication of rain in September, as this delays our rice paddy growth for two weeks,” Phwar Chit explains to the attentive sixth grader.
2. Watch the snail eggs
“Snail eggs tell us how high the river water level will increase. If you find the snail has laid its eggs on the trunk four-feet off the ground, it is an indication that water might reach up to that height,” Phwar Chit says.
3. Hear the frogs croak
“If frogs are croaking far from the river bank before it rains or as it rains, it means that water will reach up to the place they are located,” adds Phwar Chit.
4. Build a raft
“We have prepared a plastic tank bamboo to be able to float on water. We have a small boat to evacuate on higher ground when floods or a storm comes,” Phwar Chit shares.
5. Construct your house on stilts
To ensure they are not flooded every time the river overflows, Wint’s family built their home on stilts.
“Although we have our home on stilts, the floods can sometimes still reach our house so we built a higher level so that we are able to stay safe,” Phwar Chit shares.
6. Hold on to a sturdy tree
“I remember I faced a storm about 35 years ago that made me fear for my life. I hugged my three children and held my arms around them tightly and clung to a tree as the wind blew so roughly,” recalls Phwar Chit.
7. But most of all, be prepared
Wint knows exactly what to do and where to go if a storm comes or if the flooding gets too high.
“When the water level rises, I will go to higher ground. I should take along the family's registration form, drinking water, and some dry foods which is enough for four days,” Wint says.
“I will run up to that building (a monastery) when our home gets inundated,” says Wint, pointing to the highest building in the village that also serves as evacuation centre for the villagers.
In Wint’s community, World Vision organised regular meetings and trainings for the members of Community Based Disaster Management Committee (CBDMC), drafting disaster preparedness plans for the community and conducting awareness raising activities, targeting school children.
World Vision conducted jointly facilitated risk reduction training for children and provided rain water collection tanks for families and in schools. PUR water purification sachets, water ceramic filter, bamboo, blankets, and Long Lasting Insecticide Nets were also distributed to families so that they are prepared in the event of future flooding.