Nearly 25 million people have been displaced by flooding and 1,400 killed in South Asia as the worst monsoon rains to hit the region in decades continued to wreak havoc.

Northern India, Bangladesh and Nepal are the worst hit countries, according to officials dealing with the crisis. 

UNICEF highlighted the crisis situation developing across South Asia as monsoon- rains continue to pound north India, Nepal and Bangladesh creating havoc and chaos with heavier rains forecast in the next few days. An estimated 20 million people are believed to be affected in all three countries in what is being described as the worst flooding in living memory.

Unknown numbers of people are either stranded or have been displaced and lack any form of shelter. Hundreds of thousands have lost their homes, their possessions, livestock and fields and will have to begin their lives from scratch when flood waters recede.

Access to the worst affected areas is a major concern as vast swathes of land are completely submerged, rising waters continue to inundate, cutting off more villages and communities. Land-slides have been reported in the highlands of Nepal posing an additional threat for communities already suffering from the monsoon deluge.

The monsoon, which lasts from June to September, regularly brings flooding to South Asia but this year has witnessed some of the worst in living memory with the north and east particularly hard hit.

"The situation we have now is unprecedented in the past 30 years."
- A. K. Chowdhury, Bihar chief secretary to AFP

The sheer size and scale of the flooding and the massive numbers of people affected poses an unprecedented challenge to the delivery of desperately needed humanitarian assistance by Governments, and the aid community across the region.

Shelter, access to fresh water, food, emergency medical supplies and basic household items are urgently required - especially given the loss of infrastructure including basic health units and hospitals.

Major threats include starvation, waterborne diseases and skin infections due to the lack of food, clean water and any form of sanitation. Many water supply systems have been either damaged or no longer exist.

UNICEF is particularly concerned about the situation of women and especially children and adolescents who make up 40 per cent of South Asia’s population. They are especially vulnerable to dehydration, exposure and diarrhea.

This follows on from the devastating flooding in Pakistan caused when Cyclone Yemyin struck Balochistan and Sindh in late June affecting some 2 million people.

Bangladesh:

Heavy monsoonal rains over the past few weeks, exacerbated by water streaming into the Jamuna River from Assam in India have caused severe flooding in Bangladesh’s north with the situation worsening in the past few days due to recurring heavy downpours across the country.

The five worst affected districts are Sirajganj, Kurigram, Jamalpur, Bogra and Tangail as well as Netrokona, Gaibandha and Nilphamary which have also been hit hard. The nation’s capital Dhaka has only been partially affected though there are fears that the eastern side of the capital could be inundated in the next few days as waters make their way towards the lowlands.

As of 1 August, 2007 there were 881 cases of diarrhea, 65 cases of acute respiratory infection and snake bite reported through the Ministry of Health and eight casualties as a result of drowning.

"In the last 15 days, all major rivers rose above danger levels and their water has already inundated some 40 per cent of the country's total land area," said Saiful Hossain of Bangladesh's Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre.

According to information available so far, about 1,022 primary schools in Dhaka division and 2,353 schools have been closed down. Another 10 schools in these two divisions were completely destroyed due to river erosion.

An Emergency Monitoring and Coordination Cell has been set up under the office of the Chief Advisor of the present Caretaker Government which has already deployed 601 medical teams to the field to assist the flood affected people - though it has yet to declare an emergency (as at 1 August).

At the request of the Ministry of Health, UNICEF is providing essential drugs, oral rehydration salts and has already dispatched 15.77 million water purification tablets. UNICEF is also making available propositioned essential items including high protein biscuits, plastic sheets, family and educational kits.

India:

The flood situation in the two north Indian states - Bihar and Uttar Pradesh has worsened over the last 2-3 days. These states, the most densely populated in the country, both count large numbers of poor and vulnerable people. The state government’s capacity to respond is, compared to the states in the South and West, relatively limited.

According to government estimates, the cumulative number of human casualties stands at 1,103 in 138 affected districts and more than 112,000 houses have been damaged or destroyed though these figures are set to rise as the situation unfolds.

Safe drinking water is emerging as a major issue in the flood affected areas. Most tube-wells are submerged. Many affected people are reportedly using flood water for drinking purposes.

As the magnitude and the intensity of the floods are increasing there will be a need to scale up the relief work in most affected districts.

• The flood situation in Bihar (pop 83 million) is becoming grimmer by the day. According to Government sources 7 million people in 14 districts are badly affected by floods.

• In Uttar Pradesh, with a population of 166 million, more than 5,000 schools have been affected and classes have been suspended. Some schools are being used to shelter displaced families. School buildings will require major repair after the floods. The Government, so far, has responded with relief and rehabilitation measures. The rescue operations are being undertaken with the help of the police and relief materials have started reaching people, however, needs are immense.

• Twenty-five of Assam’s 27 districts have been inundated, affecting an estimated 5.5 million people. So far, 480 relief camps and 264 temporary shelters serving 260,000 people have been established.

On-going response

UNICEF staff members have conducted rapid assessments in all affected areas to help ascertain the extent of the humanitarian response and needs. Apart from items already pre-positioned which have been provided to the flood affected people, such as oral rehydration solutions, bleaching powder, chlorine tablets, mosquito nets, jerry and cans. UNICEF is considering more requests for assistance from state governments.

Nepal Floods:

According to the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Nepal Red Cross Society (NRCS), 84 people have been killed and more than 9,700 families have been displaced, affecting around 270,000 people in 32 districts in the last two weeks.

Many Village Development Committees remain cut off by high levels of water, and figures are being constantly reviewed as detailed assessments are completed and will be used for future funding requests.

Food, clean water, and temporary shelter have been identified as major needs, while reports of fever, acute respiratory infections, diarrhoea, water borne diseases and snake bites have been reported from at least five districts.

Of particular concern is that flood waters this year have remained stationary, and not flowing as in the past, which could lead to the collapse of many more adobe homes in the coming days. Thousands of hectares of agricultural land have been destroyed at the peak rice planting season, in the Terai region, the bread basket of the country.

Ongoing Response:

UNICEF Nepal’s immediate response, through the Nepal Red Cross Society, has been the provision of water purification materials for 30,000 families and 6,000 packets of oral rehydration solutions and non-food items (NFI) such as tarpaulins, buckets, blankets and first aid kits from pre-positioned supplies.

UNICEF Nepal has also allocated a further US$260,000 to respond to immediate needs and staff to support the Government’s response and to ensure that socially excluded groups, including children and women, get access to emergency supplies.

On a national level, the Ministry of Finance has released additional resources and instructed district Governments to do the same. Most of the relief operations and support is being undertaken by the NRCS with major contributions from UNICEF, Save the Children US and the Office for Foreign Disaster Assistance.

[Source: UNICEF]

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