Arakan News Agency | Exclusive
The deterioration of a major concrete road in Maungdaw, Arakan State, used by more than 10 villages, has caused significant mobility difficulties for residents after heavy rains washed away large parts of it since early July 2025.
The residents began experiencing hardship after continuous heavy rains caused powerful floods that severely damaged the road, which is a vital artery connecting those villages to the city of Maungdaw.
One resident told the “Arakan News Agency” that nearly half of the road was washed away by water. “We relied on it for transporting goods coming from the Bangladeshi side, and now we have to carve paths through the forests.”
The road collapse has affected residents of southern Maungdaw, including the villages of Kyen Chaung, Tharay Kunbau, Du Nyaung Bin Gyi, Kyin Gyi, Badin, and She Yar Tan, who relied on it for daily commutes, with approximately 150 vehicles, including motorcycles and three-wheeled vehicles.
Due to the road closure, residents have resorted to opening manual paths through forests as temporary alternative routes, amid the absence of other transportation or goods transport options.
Local reports also indicated that some bridges along the road were damaged by the strong floods resulting from the rain.
Earlier, the Arakan Army attempted temporary road repairs, but they did not withstand the persistent rainfall and repeated floods, according to local residents’ accounts.
One resident from the southern region of Maungdaw said, “Most of the goods coming from the sea pass through this road; now we are asking the authorities to expedite its repair.”
Previously, the heavy rains in the city of Maungdaw, Arakan State, caused the flooding of villages, schools, and roads, as well as the drowning deaths of two women swept away by the floods.
Arakan State has faced intense rains and floods since May 26, which submerged homes and lands of the Rohingya in the city of “Maungdaw.” In June, several towns in Arakan State, including “Kyauktaw,” experienced massive floods due to heavy rains.
