Floods in India Cause Humanitarian Disaster
Floods have forced the Indian government to evacuate up to 300,000 people. The refugees are now living in relief shelters, temples and high-rise government buildings.
The floods are the worst in over 50 years.
Although 300,000 people have been saved, some 600,000 individuals are stranded without food or drinkable water.
According to NGOs and Delphi 60 people have died in recent days, and three million people have been affected in one way or another by the floods. India was flooded after ‘the Kosi river breached its banks earlier this month on the border with Nepal and changed course, swamping hundreds of villages in eastern Bihar state.’
“Large-scale evacuation will continue ’til all the marooned people are rescued in the next three to four days,” disaster management official Prataya Amrit told AFP.
UNICEF is trying to help victims by sending food and drinkable water. “Essential commodities including food are now being transported by boat,” the UN body said in a statement.
Other organizations and individuals are also trying to help out where they can.
But, for now, the efforts are not enough. Hundreds of thousands are still suffering and have no place to go. The flood hit them by surprise. All they can hope for now is that the water level decreases rapidly or that the government, NOGs, charities, and private citizens will be able to help them out in one way or another.
