CARE's emergency team in the flood-affected Supaul
district of Bihar state warns that standing pools of water created by the floodwaters provide a breeding ground for water-borne disease and malaria. CARE is one of the agencies coordinating with the
government to provide food and emergency supplies to survivors in one of the worst floods to hit India in the past 50 years."Water-borne disease is a huge risk now, and we
are already getting reports of diarrhea cases," said Balaji Singh, Emergency Coordinator for CARE India.
Ongoing monsoon rains are hampering relief efforts, and CARE emergency workers
report the floodwaters are rising again and spreading to new areas. As the floodwaters move through, they leave behind pools of standing water, which are a breeding ground for water-borne diseases and
mosquitoes that spread malaria.
In coordination with the government, CARE is setting up a camp for as many as 5,000 people in one of the worst-affected areas of Supaul district. CARE will
prepare meals and provide safe drinking water, clothes and emergency supplies, and implement a cash-for-work program where adults will receive payment for working in the camp.
CARE is also
providing medical assistance to flood survivors, particularly children and pregnant or lactating women who are more vulnerable to water-borne illness. CARE is preparing to distribute safe pregnancy
kits for pregnant women and mothers with newborns, and hygiene kits that include supplies specifically for women. Bihar is one of the poorest states in India and medical facilities were poor even
before the floods hit.
"Pregnant women are at great risk," said Singh. "They are walking through contaminated floodwaters, with no food or clean water, to reach relief
camps. It's crucial that they have access to nourishing food and clean drinking water as soon as possible – pregnant women and small children can’t tolerate going this long without food.
Once they reach the camps, it's a question of safe delivery and treatment."
CARE's emergency teams are also reporting a significant local response, where anyone not affected by the
flooding is doing what they can to assist with the overall relief efforts. More than three million people have been affected by the flooding, and it may be as long as four months before displaced
families can return home.
Ends -
About CARE: CARE has been operating in India since 1950. CARE’s ongoing programs include maternal and child health, nutrition,
micro-finance, education, economic empowerment and emergency response.
Media contacts:
Deborah Underdown, Asistant Communications Officer (London): 020 7934 9417 or
Melanie Brooks, Media and Communications Coordinator (Geneva) mobile +41.79.590.3047 e-mail
Nalini Nupur Paul, Communications Manager (Bihar) mobile +91.98.7354.9745 e-mail
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
REFILE - ADDING RESTRICTION Flood-affected people stand on the rooftops of their submerged house at a village in the eastern Indian state of Bihar September 3, 2008. The floods have forced ...
