Relief On Its Way in South Asia Monsoons Region
NEW DELHI, August 3, 2007, — Relief efforts are under way to respond to the relentless, continued floods that have uprooted the lives of millions of people in India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Pakistan. The region's monsoon flooding is said to be the worst in many years.
Displaced residents in India make makeshift homes from relief supplies.
India
It is reported that more than 12 million people in the country 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 our 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 Fr. Philip Purty, a CRS partner responding in the area.
A flooded village in India.
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.
Pakistan
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.
CRS trained Pakistan flood victims on proper water sanitation and treatment methods.
"Families are displaced and taking water from any available source, including open wells and traditional irrigation systems. … Treatment of water is vital to people's health," reports Michelle Neukirchen, CRS Pakistan's 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 is helping to construct 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.
Communities are taking part in the building of the latrines — one per two households — by providing the labor while CRS provides plastic sheets, plastic slabs, bamboo and rope. At the current rate, communities are building 40 latrines per day.
"The issue of latrines is serious because this is a desert area, without many trees, so open defecation is not an option during the day, especially for women," says Gul Wali Khan, CRS Pakistan's emergency director.
Bangladesh
In Bangladesh, an estimated 4 million people are in need of assistance due to the dramatically rising water levels. CRS' partners are carrying out assessments of the most heavily affected areas, paying special attention to issues of clean water and threat of waterborne disease — common dangers during floods due to water runoff and contamination of wells, ponds and other water sources.
Nepal
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. Floodwaters have destroyed or heavily damaged 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.
