Jul 11, 2008 (DVB), Residents of Phoe Lay village, south of Bogalay, are lacking food, shelter and clean water and have been unable to restart farming after a tiller provided by the government broke.

A private donor who visited Phoe Lay village said locals were unable to repair the tiller.

"Villagers from Phoe Lay did receive one tiller from the government but unfortunately, the machine was broken," the donor said.

"It is going to cost about 300,000 kyat to repair it and since the villagers have no job and no income, they are unable to afford it."

The donor said the villagers have no money, food or shelter and have been forced to eat wet rice as they cannot afford to buy new rice.

Aid projects that are helping villagers in surrounding areas have not yet come to Phoe Lay, the donor said.

"They were also facing problem getting clean water," he said.

"That problem has already been solved in some villages as some private donors have dug wells there but this has not yet happened in Phoe Lay village and so people have to boil water from a nearby lake before they can use it," he explained.

"A lot of elderly people and children are getting diarrhoea."

Reporting by Naw Say Phaw