Bagan’s Ancient Temples Submerged After Seven-Hour Deluge

via The Irrawady, 05 September 2023: Heavy rainfall has led to flooding in Myanmar’s World Heritage-listed city of Bagan, affecting renowned sites such as Ananda Temple and Shwezigon Pagoda, and raising concerns about the increasing vulnerability of the area to flooding due to urban construction and climate factors.

The precincts of Shwezigon Pagoda and Ananda Temple were submerged, and firefighters and local charities deployed pumps to drain the water.

“Precincts of the two pagodas were left waterlogged by the rain. The drains have become clogged because of garbage and buildings. We plan to remove the blockages quickly to avoid more flooding,” said U Kyaw Myo Win, director of Bagan’s Department of Archaeology and National Museum branch.

Nyaung-U Township, where Bagan is located, saw record rainfall of 2.88 inches on Sunday, according to the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology.

Source: Fear Grows for Myanmar’s Bagan After Temples Suffer Fresh Flooding