South Asia floods affect millions

Social justice news
August 8, 2007

South Asia floods affect millions
In-country United Nations agencies and programmes are working with the governments of flood-affected India, Bangladesh and Nepal, where tens of millions of people are in urgent need of various kinds of aid, including temporary shelter, fresh water, food and medical supplies, after being hit by severe floods over the past two to three weeks.

“It is important that countries in flood-prone regions work together to manage the impact of seasonal flooding, and to take shared steps to prepare against future floods,” said John Holmes, Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, in noting the regional nature of this current emergency. “The United Nations reaffirms its readiness to work with countries and assist in any way possible.”

In South Asia, the flooding has affected nearly 40 million people so far this season, which has been the worst in many years. So far, flooding in eight states across India has caused nearly 1,300 deaths and disrupted the lives of over 31 million people. Some 2 million hectares (4.9 million acres) of crops have been damaged, and over 500,000 homes were damaged or destroyed. The United Nations is coordinating water and sanitation activities in support of the Government. In addition, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), through its non-governmental organization (NGO) partners, has provided flood relief supplies in India’s Bihar State, near the border with Bangladesh.

Catholic Relief Services reports that more than 12 million people in India have been stranded by the floods—a population the size of New York City and Los Angeles combined. This week's torrential rains have had a devastating effect in India's northeastern states as well as in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.

This emergency follows flooding in three other states just one month earlier. Over the past four weeks, Catholic Relief Services and itsr partner, Caritas India, have responded in the states of Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Orissa with food, water, household supplies and hygiene efforts that have reached 50,000 families.

Now, rivers have swelled above danger levels in the northeast. As many as 200,000 people in the regional capital of Guwahati have sought cover in makeshift shelters on raised embankments, government schools and office buildings in Dhemaji district.

"Houses are totally submerged. People are taking shelter in the schools, which has forced school authorities to close down the schools. Most of the children are now in the relief camps," says Father Philip Purty, a CRS partner responding in the area.

This week, CRS reached 6,000 families in the area with tarps and water filters made available through pre-positioned stocks. CRS' partner Caritas has provided food relief to 2,500 people. Other CRS partners have set up five relief camps in the Dhemaji and Dibrugarh districts, where nurses are collaborating with government authorities to cater to the sick with the minimal supplies available. The Indian government has provided food in most of the displaced camps.

In Pakistan, CRS has taken a leading role in responding to the worst flooding and cyclone damage in decades. The flooding has affected millions of people in remote areas of Sindh and Balochistan Provinces, posing enormous logistical challenges for relief agencies. CRS was one of the first organizations to respond and is now reaching remote areas in both provinces with a program of relief kits, water, hygiene and shelter. The first 4,000 families have received relief kits, hygiene training, and water purification tablets.

"Families are displaced and taking water from any available source, including open wells and traditional irrigation systems. Cases of cholera and watery diarrhea continue to appear and treatment of water is vital to people's health," said Michelle Neukirchen, CRS Pakistan Water and Sanitation Advisor.

CRS is also providing 50,000 liters of tested water daily, as well as community water tanks, thousands of household water filters, and the construction of bathing spaces and latrines. Longer-term efforts will include rehabilitation of water wells, supporting communities on permanent solutions (hand pumps, water motor pumps), and shelter repair and reconstruction.

Some 7.6 million Bangladeshis have also been affected by the recent floods and 128 have died, as water from the Ganges-Padma and Brahmaputra-Jamuna Rivers continues to rise in the country’s northeast and central region. Some 4.2 million flood victims are in areas near the capital, Dhaka, where more than 200,000 are living in temporary shelters. UNICEF, the World Food Programme (WFP) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) are providing help with logistics, nutrition and early recovery. UNICEF has distributed 16 million water purification tablets.

In Nepal, floods and landslides in the south of the country have resulted in over 90 deaths have affected over 330,000 people. More than 21,000 families have been displaced. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs is facilitating international assistance through information management and mapping. At this stage, most humanitarian relief is being channelled through the Nepal Red Cross Society, and the United Nations is supporting the Government’s district disaster relief committees, the Nepal Red Cross Society (NRCS) and NGOs in conducting assessments.

According to CRS, more than one third of Nepal's districts have flooded in the past two weeks, with the most devastation felt in the lowland (Terai) belt that borders India. Flood waters have heavily destroyed houses, crops and food stocks, and left many farm animals dead. Initial assessments indicate 48,483 families (268,136 people) are badly affected. CRS is working with Caritas Nepal to assess flood affected areas throughout the country. Caritas has also distributed immediate emergency relief to several thousand families in four districts.

UNICEF and the International Committee of the Red Cross are providing plastic sheeting and water purification tablets, while the WFP is providing food rations for 10,000 families for the next three months.

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