The residents in the former capital, previously called Rangoon, which was one of the regions hit hardest by the weekend cyclone, have been left without adequate water and other facilities, the Democratic Voice of Burma reported. Burma is the former name of Myanmar.

The death toll from the cyclone is now feared to be in the tens of thousands, and international agencies were awaiting clearance from the junta to bring relief to the victims

One Yangon resident told DVB that to get drinking water, one has to hire fire trucks.

"You have to pay 30,000 kyat (about $30) to the fire brigade and 17,000 for the fuel. People from the ward jointly hire it and you pump water out of the drilled well using the motor, and then share it out," the resident said.

The report said most people are spending time just to get water or repairing homes without expert help.

In nearby Insein township, about 1,000 homes are now under water and their owners have taken refuge in a Buddhist monastery whose monks are helping them with their daily needs.

There is no transport because the roads have been damaged.