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Press Releases & Updates

26 SEP 2014

South Asia Floods Update

Since the second week of August 2014, intense monsoon rains has caused a continuously worsening flooding in South Asia, affecting the people in four countries – Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan.

Bangladesh

Latest Situation

According to the Disaster Management Information Centre, up to 3 million people in 20 districts are affected by the flood. The situation is now improving as all major rivers begin to recede. However, many people are suffering from diarrhoea, acute respiratory infection, skin disease and eye infections. The Directorate General of Health Services has deployed over 600 medical teams to respond to increased cases of infections.

Oxfam’s Response

Oxfam has developed an emergency response strategy, targeting to assist 5,000 households in 4 districts including Kurigram, Gaibandha, Sirajganj and Sunamgong.

  • Enable 5,000 vulnerable households to receive food and other essential goods through unconditional cash support for 15 days
  • Enable 5,000 vulnerable households to assess clean water through repair of tube wells
  • Distribute hygiene kits, construct emergency latrines and conduct hygiene awareness programme to prevent the spread of epidemics and diseases

India

Latest Situation

Constant rain and landslides have wreaked havoc in Jammu and Kashmir. The state is facing one of its worst natural disasters of the century. More than 2,500 villages affected, out of which 450 are completely submerged. More than 300 villages are completely cut off. Landslides have damaged roads, dozens of bridges, buildings and crops.

The worst hit areas are Anantnag, Pulwama and Kulgam districts in South Kashmir, Bandipore in North Kashmir and Poonch and Rajouri districts in Jammu region.  Almost all 10 districts in the Jammu Region have been affected and over 11,000 people have been evacuated.

Oxfam’s Response

Oxfam will provide humanitarian assistance to the flood affected and shelter-less in form of non-food items (fleece blankets, tarpaulin sheets, hygiene kits and solar lamps) and provide food security & safe drinking water in the first phase of relief work. Our relief targets to assist 10,000 households, including: 

  • Enable 2,500 vulnerable households to receive food and other essential goods through unconditional cash support for 30 days
  • Enable 10,000 households to receive tarpaulin sheets, ground sheets, blankets and room heaters for building emergency shelters
  • Enable 10,000 vulnerable households to assess clean water through repairing and disinfecting of drinking water sources, install water filter systems
  • Conduct hygiene awareness programme to prevent the spread of epidemics and diseases 

Nepal

Latest Situation

Heavy rainfall caused floods and landslides in 17 districts, causing 256 deaths and around 24,000 families affected. Around 5,200 families continue to be displaced and 255 people are still missing. The Government of Nepal is leading the response, including the distribution of food, non-food items, shelter and medicines, with the support from Oxfam and other international organisations.

Oxfam’s Response

  • Target to assist 5,000 families in Surkhet, Banke and Barda districts
  • Enable 430 vulnerable households to receive food and other essential goods through unconditional cash support or support of livelihood promotion activities, e.g. livestock distribution
  • Enable 750 vulnerable households to assess clean water through repair of water system
  • Distribute hygiene kits (including mosquito nets, blankets etc), construct emergency latrines and conduct hygiene awareness programme to prevent the spread of  epidemics and diseases  

Pakistan 

Latest Situation

Monsoon rains caused heavy flooding in Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK), Punjab and Gilgit Baltistan. About 2.2 million people are affected with 317 deaths and 541 injured due to flash floods. Around 3,100 villages are affected and 1.6 million acres of crop are damaged.

Oxfam’s Response

  • Conducted a rapid assessment in the six most severely affected districts of Punjab, including Jhang, Muzafargarh, Multan, Rajan Pur, Chinot and Hafizabad.
  • Developed a one year response strategy to meet the basic needs of water, sanitation and hygiene, and also with a focus on emergency food security and vulnerable livelihoods. The response is targeted to assist 300,000 flood affected individuals (around 43,000 families) in six districts of Punjab, including the following initiatives:

-       Increase access to clean water and sanitation facilities through water trucking, installation of water tanks and tap stands, rehabilitation of water sources and hand pumps, disinfection of wells.

-       Reduce risk of water borne diseases by increasing awareness of public health risks through installation of latrines and waste bins,  distribution of hygiene kits and conducting hygiene education session

-       Ensure emergency food security through provision of cash to the most vulnerable 10,000 families to meet three months food needs, provision of animal fodder to 3,000 families to meet 5-6 animal needs for one month, and rehabilitation of key community infrastructure in order to re-start agriculture and other livelihood related activities