Aug 20, 2008 (DVB), Bago residents said the water level of the Bago river, which had risen due to heavy rains and flooded parts of the town, has begun to subside, though large numbers of people remain in temporary shelters.

A Bago resident said some people who were evacuated from their houses along the banks of the river had been able to return home, but others could not yet go back.

"The water level has subsided in some places but it remained high in the rest , those who were affected by the floods were given temporary shelters in monasteries, school buildings and some at the Shwe Mawdaw pagoda," he said.

"Refugees who took shelter in the schools have already gone back to their houses."

The resident said a number of rice fields around Bago had been destroyed by the floods.

Residents of Nyaung Lay Pin said local farmers were also facing huge losses after heavy rain over the last month flooded their farmlands.

"It is very possible that our business will fail this year , the water came up not just once, but about three times, and each time lasted from seven to ten days," a Nyaung Lay Pin resident said.

"Some rice plants rotted away because they had been under the water."

Reporting by Khin Hnin Htet