An estimated 10 million people have been affected by floods in India and Myanmar with scores dead and tens of thousands in need of aid.
Anthea Spinks, World Vision Australia’s head of humanitarian and emergency affairs, said this week the monsoonal rains and subsequent floods and landslides were taking a “dreadful toll” in lives and livelihoods. She expressed particular concern for vulnerable children.
Chin State, remote and mountainous and one of the poorest regions in Myanmar, was also among the hardest-hit by floods. Floods and landslides have destroyed roads and bridges, blocking access for delivery of food and aid. PICTURE: ©UNICEF/Chin 04/Badrul Hassan
“Children are always the most vulnerable during natural disasters and it is heartbreaking that children are already reported among the dead,” she said.
At least 190 people have been killed in India and a million forced into relief shelter. Crops, houses, roads, and bridges have all been destroyed and as many as 10,000 villages affected. World Vision India supports more than 10,000 children in affected areas in West Bengal, Odisha, Manipur and Gujurat.
In Myanmar, the government said that as of 6th August, the death toll has reached 88 with more than 330,000 people affected and more than 217,000 acres of farmland destroyed.
Eamonn Murphy, UN resident and humanitarian coordinator in Myanmar, said the UN and international NGOs were doing everything in their power to assist the authorities in providing aid.
“The humanitarian response at the moment is prioritising immediate life-saving needs, but as the waters recede and people return home, the international aid community will shift its focus to help communities rebuild their lives and livelihoods over the next weeks and months.”
Earlier this week, Shalini Bahuguna, UNICEF deputy representative in Myanmar, said the floods were “hitting children and families who are already very vulnerable, including those living in camps in Rakhine State”.
“Beyond the immediate impact, the floods will have a longer term impact on the livelihoods of these families.”
The effects of the monsoonal rains in several South East Asian countries have been exacerbated by Cyclone Komen which made landfall in coastal Bangladesh late last week.
