Some 30 million people have been affected by monsoon rains and flash flooding.

August 9, 2007

By Larry Short, Web Editor


World Vision is digging deep to help meet critical needs among approximately 30 million people in Bangladesh and India affected by record rains and flooding — both consequences of an especially brutal monsoon season in South Asia this year.

Health Hazards, Potential for More Rains

Death tolls from the flooding are in the hundreds to date, and water supplies in many areas have already become contaminated.

"Entire villages are days away from a health crisis if people are not reached in the coming days," says Marzio Babille, the United Nations' health chief in India. "Children, who make up 40 percent of South Asia's population, are particularly susceptible."

Weather watchers are concerned about the strong possibility of additional rains in the coming days, which could compound the miseries of the region.

Mobilizing Resources to Meet Urgent Needs

World Vision's emergency relief teams are working to meet the most urgent needs among hardest-hit communities in India and Bangladesh, says Franklin Joseph, director of humanitarian and emergency affairs for World Vision in India. "We are coordinating efforts with the Inter Agency Group [a coalition of government and aid agencies], and will be providing instant meals immediately."

Some 10,000 families in India and up to 80,000 families in Bangladesh will be the immediate beneficiaries of planned assistance. Dry food rations, clothing, kitchen utensils, clean water and sanitation, medicine, and shelter are among the items most critically needed. These will be provided to India's worst affected regions, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.

World Vision is also working with the Bangladeshi government to hand out food and other essentials like candles, matches, and soap to the most affected communities in the Netrokona district, 99 miles north of the capital city of Dhaka.

Ferrying Families to Safety

World Vision program staff and volunteers in flooded areas of northeast India set out in small boats when the storms began late last month, rescuing 619 people from the rising floodwaters.

"Rescue was done with the help of small boats that World Vision provided to the community in January," says Chadrakanta Molson, a World Vision program manager. "The distance of the river from one bank to another was two kilometers. It was a difficult job, as there were no big boats available."

Molson noted that there was no loss of life, despite the challenging operation.