Disease Outbreak Strikes Thousands in Flood-Hit East India

By

Elias K.S.

Christian Post Correspondent

Mon, Sep. 03 2007 08:13 PM ET

BHUBANESWAR, India – The increase of waterborne diseases after heavy rains caused flooding and unsafe sanitary conditions in the eastern India has killed up to 250 people and sickened thousands, according to reports last week.

"The death toll in the three cholera-hit districts of the state [of Orissa] – Rayagada, Koraput and Kalahandi – has gone up to 140," said Dr. Usha Patnaik, the state’s director of health services, in an Associated Press report Thursday.

On Friday, however, UK.-based relief group ActionAid said it received reports from local sources that nearly 250 people had died in Koraput, Rayagada and Kalahadi, nearly double the official death toll.

Orissa health secretary Chinmoy Basu said a cholera outbreak in the state was caused by locals drinking water from stagnant pools of water and eating contaminated meat.

Full Story

Needs still great as floods continue in South Asia

23 Aug 2007 10:23:44 GMT

Source: Caritas Internationalis

Vatican City, 23 August 2007 – More than half of Bangladesh and parts of India are still under water after a month of heavy monsoon flooding. Caritas fears the situation will worsen as heavy rains continue to fall across much of South Asia."There are still so many families who are totally helpless, living on the streets or under trees or in other people's houses," said Denis Baskey, regional director of Caritas Rajshahi in Bangladesh. "They need food, water, medicines. It is quite desperate."

Full Story

Situation report: Asia flooding, 15 Aug 2007

Across the Asian continent, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance partners are planning and implementing assistance for more than 270,000 vulnerable people in various flood-related emergencies. Emergency responses include immediate food distribution, safe water, housing reconstruction and future risk reduction.

Presbyterian Disaster Assistance is supporting the work of our mission partners in the affected countries in cooperation with other members of ACT (Action by Churches Together) International. ACT members are coordinating their efforts throughout each country to ensure an effective and appropriate response to those most vulnerable and in need of humanitarian assistance.

Full Story

Czech UNICEF launches fund-raising for flood-hit Asia

August 10, 2007 | ČTK

Prague - The Czech UNICEF committee has launched on Thursday a public fund-raising to help millions of children from the areas in India, Bangladesh and Nepal that were hit by disastrous floods this summer.The floods in southeast Asia have afflicted over 50 million people and have claimed over 1900 lives since mid-June.
Financial gifts can be sent to the UNICEF CR account, number 11771177/0300, or via a text message: DMS UNICEF on 87777, committee spokeswoman Rosa Simberska said today.Inhabitants of the inundated Asian localities are threatened with dangerous infectious diseases as well as diarrhoea. The number of malaria cases is expected to rise steeply.

The UNICEF fund is permanently operating in southeast Asia so it was able to immediately react to the disaster and distribute aid.
Full Story

Save the Children assists children and families imperiled by South Asian floods

Westport, Conn. (August 9, 2007) – Save the Children has launched a regionwide response to monsoon-triggered flooding across the South Asian countries of Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan.

Families in Nepal taking refuge after flash flooding.

Save the Children is reaching out to more than 132,000 families across the four countries with critical supplies and provide ongoing support in the areas of health, education, child protection, livelihoods, and water and sanitation as the population works toward recovery.

Full Story

Christian Aid Launches Asia Flood Appeal

From today, Christian Aid’s response will include distributing emergency food rations, water and cooking utensils to stranded people in the Indian state of Bihar, one of the worst hit.

'This level of constant rainfall in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh states is unprecedented. We have never witnessed this before,' said Anand Kumar, from the Christian Aid office in India.

Full Story

Govt should accelerate the flood relief work: Ameer-e-Shariat

Posted August 7th, 2007 by Tarique

By Tarique Anwar, TwoCircles.net

Phulwari Sharif (Patna): Amir-e-Shariat Maulana Syed Nizamuddin urged Bihar government to accelerate their flood relief work while talking to TwoCircles.net after a press conference organized by Imarat-e-Shariah, Bihar, Jharkhand and Orissa in its Patna head quarter.

He said that the flood situation in Bihar is grim. Every where there is a fear and panic in the people, they have lost everything they had, they have nothing to eat and little to survive. Lakhs of residents have become homeless and forced to stay under the open sky. Almost all dams are damaged or broken. More than two hundred people are infected with different water born diseases. Diarrhea, Cholera will spread very rapidly due to scorching sun rays.

Amir-e-Shariat said that the situation will become more dangerous and uncontrolled if the victims are not provided medical aid in time. "The survivors urgently need relief on the basis of humanity. Relief work from central and state governments should be carried out on war footing", he stated.

Full Story

Flood relief team of Imarat Shariah busy in relief operation

Posted August 4th, 2007 by Tarique

By TwoCircles.net staff reporter

Phulwari Sharif (Patna): The relief teams of Imarat Shariah Bihar, Jharkhand and Orissa have spread out to the flood affected areas with food packets, medicines and cloths. They are distributing these essential items among the flood victims.

Full Story

Millions displaced as floods recede in south Asia

Updated Sun. Aug. 5 2007 9:45 PM ET

CTV.ca News Staff

South Asian communities across Canada are scrambling for information and praying for millions of displaced flood victims in India and Bangladesh.

Dipali Narvankar, a newlywed attending university in Winnipeg, couldn't contact her husband for nearly a week as a result of the monsoon-driven flooding.

"He was stuck in his office for five days. After five minutes, he couldn't come out because the water level was up to neck," she told CTV Winnipeg on Sunday. Rescuers finally tied a rope to his wrist and pulled him out, she said.

An estimated 289 people have died as a result of the flooding so far.

The Canadian Red Cross has started a national fund-raising effort.

"Half of the country in Bangladesh is affected. It is literally under water," the Red Cross's Charlie Musoka told CTV News. "We have to provide as much assistance as possible in terms of clean water and emergency food."

Full Story

Bangladesh/India/Nepal: Flooding in South Asia

Heavy rains and flash floods during the monsoon season have displaced around 16 million people in South Asia. There are about 11 million affected in India, 4.5 million in Bangladesh and about 250,000 affected in Nepal.

These floods have been some of the worst in recent years, and have hit the poor and most vulnerable the hardest. Many people have been displaced and lost their agricultural lands, shelters, and means of livelihoods. In some areas, the water level has gone as high as 10-12 feet.

Oxfam is there

In India, Oxfam's response will reach nearly 50,000 families in four of the eastern states; Assam, West Bengal, Orissa and Bihar. Oxfam has been working in West Bengal and Orissa since July, when rains and floods affected about 5.5 million people. Our work plans to reach around 25,000 families in the area. Oxfam is preparing to respond to another 25,000 families in Assam and Bihar which has seen fresh rains and floods. Our response will focus primarily on shelter, public health, food and safe drinking water.

In Nepal and Bangladesh, Oxfam has completed its assessments and is planning to respond soon.

NGOs in India, Bangladesh and Nepal gear up for flood crisis

By staff writers

4 Aug 2007

More than 150 people have died and 20 million have been displaced from heavy floods in south Asia. Reports estimate more than 12 million people in India, 5.5 million in Bangladesh and 750,000 in Nepal are affected, and face severe food shortages and vulnerability to water-bourne disease.

Regional NGOs, backed by international prtners such as Tearfund and Christian Aid, are providing communities in India with shelter, food, water and medical supplies.

Government relief efforts are also targeting those in Bangladesh but food is scarce. In Nepal devastating landslides and floods have hit the southern part of the country.

Floods, earthquakes and cyclones regularly batter India, so NGOs are experienced at responding to such disasters. This monsoon season, Tearfund. the UK-based evangelical churches' agency, says its partners have been able to respond immediately to the floods.

............................

The Discipleship Centre (DC) is running disaster risk reduction projects in five villages in the state of Orissa. These five villages have been severely affected by floods but there have been no deaths.

Full Story

Save the Children UK launches appeal for South Asia Floods

03 Aug 2007 09:00:00 GMT

Source: International Save the Children Alliance

3 August 2007 Save the Children UK is launching an urgent appeal for children in South Asia who are currently affected by floods. At least 10 million children across Bangladesh, India and Pakistan are at risk. Homes have been swept away, water supplies have been contaminated and they are exposed to the dangers of water-borne diseases.

Across the region more than 23 million people are currently affected - 6.9 million in Bangladesh, 13.7 million in India and 2.5 million in Pakistan.
...................
In India we are reaching around 3,000 families in West Bengal and Orissa and providing temporary shelter, water purification, health facilities, clothes, and school supplies for children.

Full Story

Teamwork, torrential rains and tough women

31 Jul 2007 10:47:00 GMT

Source: DanChurchAid - Denmark

Marianne Lemvig

Website: http://www.danchurchaid.org

In the state of Orissa in the eastern part of India, a successfully completed rebuilding project has led to homestead, road, latrine and tubewell raising, ensuring poor Dalit villagers to be safe during the flood season. This was a project between the Lutheran World Society India (LWSI), DanChurchAid and local villagers in the flooded areas. The rebuilding project from November 2006-May 2007 was financed by the European Commission and has helped approximately 35,000 poor people in the Kendrapara and Jaipur district of Orissa.

Full Story