01 September 2008

ActionAid has released £35,000 from contingency funds to step up relief operations in the state of Bihar, where India's prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh has declared the floods to be a national calamity.

The funds will be used for rescue and clean-up operations, temporary shelter, food and other urgently needed items. ActionAid is also responding to the floods in Nepal.

"Our priority is to reach out to people who are stranded in remote villages" said Dr PV Unnikrishnan, ActionAid’s emergencies advisor for Asia. "Many survivors are cut off from the rest of the world and are desperately in need of food, water and emergency supplies."

According to government figures 2.6 million people in 14 districts of Bihar have been affected by the flooding, which has also affected parts of Nepal. The river Kosi, which arises in Nepal, broke through an embankment and changed course, inundating districts where people were unprepared for flooding.

The inhabitants of many remote villages are still cut off and awaiting rescue. The transport system has broken down. Village roads and rail tracks remain submerged. Government rescue operations are still hampered by a shortage of boats.

Food dropped from helicopters has often failed to reach those who need it. Some packets broke open and spilled their contents. Many communities have received no air drops at all. Others are having to eat raw rice since they have no fuel or utensils.

Those who are rescued now face the prospect of several months living in relief camps.

ActionAid expressed concern over reports of women being abused in camps. Vinay Ohdar, ActionAid's regional manager for Bihar, said:

"We are extremely concerned about the plight of women - those who are stranded in marooned villages as well as those who are in the relief camps. It is necessary to take steps to ensure their safety and security."