UN Voices Concern Over Severe Flooding in Asia
The United Nations on Tuesday highlighted severe flooding in the Asian countries of Bangladesh, the North Korea and India, and expressed its willingness to help.
In Bangladesh, people are experiencing the worst and longest monsoon flooding in years. A quarter of the country is inundated, said the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
At least 5.4 million people have been affected, with 11,000 households displaced and 135 people killed, it said.
Humanitarian partners are working with Bangladeshi authorities to assist people most in need with food, shelter, clean water, hygiene supplies and other requirements. A US$40 million (FJ$85.39m) response plan has been launched to help more than one million people most in need.
This includes support for children and women who are most at risk during natural disasters and who comprise more than 70 per cent of those targeted for assistance, said OCHA.
In the North Korea, the unusually heavy rains between August 1 and 6 and again on Monday have resulted in flooding.
Some provinces, especially in the southern agricultural area, have reportedly seen a near total annual amount of rain in just a week, it said.
The UN team in the country is in contact with government authorities and stands ready to help the most vulnerable communities if required.
In India, the southwest monsoon continues to affect most states, with more than 770 people reportedly killed across the country due to heavy rainfall and flooding, said OCHA.
India’s National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM) reports that 568,000 people have been evacuated, with more than 210,000 hosted in more than 1000 relief centres.
Last Friday, a massive landslide triggered by monsoon rainfall left at least 43 people dead and 27 others missing in the southern state of Kerala, according to NIDM.
The United Nations stands ready to provide humanitarian support to the most vulnerable and affected communities in India, said OCHA.