Responding to the Need: Safe Water for Families in Kan Ywar, Mandalay

Pictured: Temporary, makeshift shelters in Kan Ywar, Mandalay. Credit: REACT 2025.

In the aftermath of the earthquake in Myanmar, we've been continually listening - to those working on the ground, to our network of trusted partners and to the communities affected by this life-changing and devastating earthquake.

What we've seen and heard is clear: access to safe drinking water is a growing concern, especially in areas where people have been displaced and formal infrastructure no longer exists.

One community identified as being in urgent need is Kan Ywar, an informal settlement on the outskirts of Mandalay. Here, approximately 750 households or around 3,500 people, are now sheltering after their homes were destroyed in the earthquake. Families are relying on shallow, stagnant wells in a waterlogged, swampy area, where safe drinking water is scarce. Along the railway tracks, people are living in improvised shelters, while nearby, tarpaulin-covered tents mark the boundaries of a camp set up for those whose homes are no longer safe to inhabit.

The risk of disease is growing. Sanitation is limited. Latrines are overflowing.

Together with partners, we’ve identified Kan Ywar as a priority area and are working towards getting safe water delivered to the community in the coming days. 

This is what thoughtful, needs-led humanitarian action looks like.

#WhateverItTakes