North Korea's flood crisis: Thousands without clean water

Since mid-August, North Korea has been grappling with the aftermath of flooding in the western part of the country. Independent media reports indicate that the regime is struggling to cope with the disaster. As a result, thousands of people are without drinking water, and some are forced to drink rainwater to survive.

Nearly a month has passed since the floods hit North Korea. Within just a few days of heavy rains, over 4,000 houses in the northwestern part of the country were flooded. Now, over 5,000 people are cut off from the world and lack access to running drinking water.

The situation in Kim Jong Un’s country is dire. According to the Daily NK portal, many people complain that the water delivered by firefighters is mixed with dirt. To make matters worse, each household is limited to barely 50 litres. For this reason, many people decide to collect and later drink rainwater.

Earth is mixed with the water supplied by the fire trucks, so you can’t just drink it. People say despite this, it’s fortunate they’re given water. They just wish the authorities would provide a bit more of it — an anonymous informant told the Daily NK portal.

According to the portal's informant, dissatisfaction with the local party committee is growing due to ineffective aid. However, the committee is trying to calm the tension using the police so that news of the worsening situation of the victims does not reach the country's centre.

The flood victims left behind are complaining about the unfairness of their situation, pointing out that the government’s selective aid is only making the victims more desperate. They’re also criticizing the provincial party committee for using the police bureau to muzzle locals for fear that the central committee will get wind of developments — said an anonymous source to the Daily NK portal.