Bangladesh

Source: IFRC
Date: 20 Aug 1999

Bangladesh: Floods Information Bulletin No. 4/99

The Disaster 

During the past few days the monsoon has intensified over most of Bangladesh. The GOB Flood Information Centre (FFWC) reported moderately heavy to heavy rainfall in many places throughout the country. Significant rainfall was recorded in eastern and southern parts of the country. The Flood Forecasting Weather Centre (FFWC) and the Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) reported a rise of the water levels in the Matamuhuri and Sangu rivers in the South Eastern Hill Basin, in all rivers in the Meghna basin, Brahmaputra-Jamuna in Brahmaputra basin and Padma, Koratoa and Punarbaba in the Ganges basin. Both the Brahmaputra-Jamuna and the Ganges-Padma river systems are rising steadily and the low-lying areas of the two river basins are likely to be inundated very soon. Cox's Bazar and Bandarban districts have already been badly affected by flooding. The road to Chittagong was temporarily cut. Up to 400,000 people are reported to be stranded in Chakoria Thana. 

Erosion has been severe along the banks of the rivers Brahmaputra, Padma, Meghna and Jamuna, affecting thousands of families, most of whom have had to move before. Whenever their land is threatened, they dismantle their bamboo and tin sheet house and put it up wherever they can find space --on an embankment, or on somebody else's land. 

Earlier, after the breaching of the Gumti embankment mid-July, flood waters inundated three thanas in Comilla district --Burichang, Debidwar and Chandina -- damaging more than 133,000 acres of rice, 1,760 km roads and 41,386 houses. Out of a total 100,000 families, 20,000 were severely affected and are still in temporary shelters on the embankments. 

BDRCS staff and the Federation DP delegate have just returned from monitoring seven districts in northern Bangladesh to determine the seriousness of the situation and what the BDRCS might do to assist the worst affected. 

BDRCS district units are keeping in regular touch with their national headquarters, and are gathering and recording data of where the floods and river erosion are occurring. The units are working in close co-operation with (Govt) Thana officials. 

Red Cross/Red Crescent Action

Procurement 

The Federation Delegation initiated procurement of 300 MT of rice and 60 MT of dal in late July. Deliveries to BDRCS NHQ Warehouse will be completed in the next few days. The BDRCS started forwarding the supplies to 18 units on 5 August . 

Assessment

The Relief Department, BDRCS NHQ, has instructed the 18 flood affected district units to start their assessment in accordance with the guidelines of the "Disaster Relief Field Manual". 

The worst hit areas are the three thanas in Comilla district, which cover 11 unions. BDRCS NHQ temporarily transferred one Assistant Director to strengthen the Unit. The Unit has set up three teams, each responsible for one of the three thanas. Each team is composed of two executive committee members, one BDRCS staff member and seven Red Crescent Youth volunteers. Altogether, they have selected 13,000 beneficiary families. 

Immediate Needs include:

• Food, 
• clothing, 
• shelter 
• medical assistance
• Construction materials for temporary housing.

• vegetable and cereal seeds
• loans for income generation projects
• disaster preparedness and management training
• basic health education
• housing assistance.

On 1 August BDRCS sent 10 medical teams to Comilla district for a period of 15 days. They were composed of one medical doctor, one paramedic, one midwife and one RCY volunteer. Each team treated an average of 100 persons a day, mostly children. Most of the patients were suffering from cold, fever, fungal skin infection and there were a few cases of diarrhoea. In general, the health situation is under control. 

Relief 

The 18 BDRCS local units distributed compressed rice to a total of 10,000 families immediately after the first wave of flooding in July. 

BDRCS is currently in the second phase of its relief operation in 18 districts where 30,000 more families are expected to be served. Relief goods comprising 300 MT of rice and 60 MT of dal have been distributed to the Units, as follows: 
 

Sl. No	Units	No. of families	Rice (mt)	Dal (mt)
1	Chittagong	1,000	10	2
2	Cox's Bazar	1,000	10	2
3	Bandarban	1,000	10	2
4	Rangamati	1,000	10	2
5	Khagrachari	1,000	10	2
6	Serajganj	1,000	10	2
7	Kurigram	1,000	10	2
8	Bogra	1,000	10	2
9	Tangail	1,000	10	2
10	Pabna	1,000	10	2
11	Laxmipur	1,000	10	2
	Jamalpur	1,000	10	2
13	Sunamgonj	1,000	10	2
14	Comilla	13,000	130	26
15	Chandpur	1,000	10	2
16	Gaibanda	1,000	10	2
17	Lalmonirhat	1,000	10	2
18	Dhaka City	1,000	10	2
Total		30,000	300	60

The Comilla district unit started distribution on 11 August and to datehas reached 3,500 out of 13,000 families. The otherdistricts began receiving supplies in the last few days. 

Conclusion 

The increasingly bad weather this week and ominous signals from weather forecasters that the situation could take a further turn for the worse early next week are giving rise to fears that this year's floods could  become as bad as last year's, when two-thirds of the country was inundated. Should this happen, an appeal for international assistance might be necessary. The Federation Secretariat is in daily contact with its Delegation in Dhaka: it will inform National Societies immediately of any new developments. 

Hiroshi Higiashura
Director
Asia & Pacific Department 

Peter Rees-Gildea
Director
Operations Funding and Reporting Department 

Bangladesh - Floods OCHA Situation Report No. 4

Ref: OCHA/99/0115 

Bangladesh - Floods
OCHA Situation Report No. 4
17 August 1999 

1. The Office of the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Dhaka reported that during the period 11 to 15 August, moderately heavy to heavy rainfall had been experienced. Significant rainfall was recorded in the eastern and southern parts of the country. 
The Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC) of the Water Development Board reported rising water levels of the Matamuhuri and Sangu rivers in the South Eastern Hill Basin, of all rivers in the Meghna Basin, of the Brahmaputra-Jamuna in the Brahmaputra Basin, and of the Padma, Karatoa and Punarbhaba rivers in the Ganges Basin. 

2. FFWC's warning message issued on 15 August stated that 'both the Brahmaputra-Jamuna and the Ganges-Padma system are rising steadily. They are likely to rise further. The catchment areas of these two systems also received a considerable amount of rainfall during the last few days both within and outside the country. As a result, the low-lying areas of these two Basins within the country are likely to be inundated.' 

3. A portion of the Dhaka-Jamalpur road near the Sherpur Ferry Terminal was eroded due to the heavy rain and approximately 1 km of the highway was flooded by rising water of the Brahmaputra River, causing traffic disruption. Heavy rain has caused inundation of the Cox's Bazar - Teknaf road at Cheinga since 13 August. Low-lying areas of Chittagong were inundated. The Chittagong Airport was closed on 13 August after rain swamped the runway. Heavy rains also forced the suspension of cargo handling at the Chittagong port. Some 300,000 people have been affected in Cox's Bazar district. 

4. According to media reports, mudslides triggered by torrential rain on 13 August killed 17 people and injured 50 in Chittagong city, Aziz Nagar and Lama Thana of Bandarban District. Army units were called in to assist the rescue and relief operations. 

5. OCHA is in close contact with the UN Resident Coordinator's Office in Dhaka, who is monitoring the situation. To date, the Government has not requested international assistance. 

6. This situation report and further information on ongoing emergencies are also available on the OCHA Internet Website at http://www.reliefweb.int 

number: +41-22-917 34
In case of emergency: Tel. +41-22-917 2010 

Desk Officers: Ms. S. Metzner-Strack/Mr. R. Mueller/Ms. M. Kondo,
OCHA Disaster Response Branch, direct Tel. +41-22-917-2144 / 3131 / 1997 

Press contact: Ms. E. Ponomareva, direct Tel. +41-22-917 23 36 

Telex: 414242 OCHA CH
Fax: +41-22-917 00 23
E-mail: info@dha.unicc.org 

Date: 06 Jul 1999

One-Fifth of Bangladesh Flooded Every Year: Experts

DHAKA (July 6) XINHUA - One-fifth of Bangladesh is flooded during the monsoon season from mid-June to September in normal years but that is not called a flood yet, experts said here Tuesday. 

Considering Bangladesh's topography, there is a flood in the country only when the flooded area exceeds 20 percent of its territory, they told members of the Overseas Correspondents Association of Bangladesh at a conference on flood. 

Replying to a question whether there would be a serious flood in the South Asian nation this year, A.K.M. Shamsul Islam, director of the Processing and Flood Forecasting Circle (PFFC) of the Bangladesh Water Development Board, said, "The flood is already there." 

Islam said he didn't think that there would not be a flood as serious as that of last year which affected two-thirds of the country and lasted for more than two months. But "it's difficult to predict. It all depends on the intensity of rainfall and water flows (from outside the country)," he said. 

Flood has already started hitting the country this year, as the water levels of major rivers have passed the danger mark at several points and four districts in southeastern Bangladesh -- Feni, Chittagong, Cox's Bazar and Bandarban -- have been flooded, said Sharif Rafiqul Islam, executive engineer of the Flood Forecasting and Warning Center. 

He also declined to predict whether there would be a serious flood this year. "It's difficult to predict if there will be a long-range flood," he said, adding that it depends on the rainfall and weather forecast is not possible for more than seven days. 

A monthly flood report released by the PFFC for the month of June 1999 said, "The monsoon is still active. Natural phenomena are so obscured that the consistency of monsoon is unpredictable... The present trends indicate that the flood situation may deteriorate in the next few days." 

Bangladesh was hit by the worst-ever flood in 1998, which affected some 100,000 square kilometers, or 67.9 percent of the country's area, killed 1,000 people and inflicted an economic loss of about 3.555 billion U.S. dollars, according to figures issued at the press conference. 

Source:  Comtex Scientific Corporation

Bangladesh river leaves 350 families homeless

DHAKA, July 23 (Reuters) - A Bangladesh river ripped through an embankment on Friday to leave 350 families homeless, while authorities battled to get food and medicine to 75,000 people marooned elsewhere in the country by raging floods.
The Padma river breached about 300 feet (100 meters) of an embankment in Munshiganj, 30 km (18 miles) from the capital Dhaka, said district commissioner Mohammed Nurul Haq. 

A total of 350 families were made homeless in western Faridpur district as the Padma tore through the embankment, district officials said. 

"Roads linking Manikganj town (north of Dhaka) with dozens of villages have been damaged by raging floodwaters," said Devashish Roy, a Manikganj magistrate. 

In the northeast, the river Surma washed away the homes of some 100 families, police said. 

Elsewhere, nearly 75,000 people left homeless by the floods crammed shelters as authorities struggled to supply them with food, drinking water and medicine, officials said. 

They said thousands more were still marooned in remote villages in Comilla district, 100 km (60 miles) from Dhaka. In the district's Shariatpur village people queued with empty bowls for relief supplies while army doctors treated hundreds in a shelter. 

Hundreds of mud-and-bamboo huts collapsed under the pressure of the floodwater in a nearby village, witnesses said. 

The flooding was triggered by the Gomti river which broke through an embankment at Ebderpur village, 15 km (10 miles) from Comilla town, nearly two weeks ago. Officials say the holes have yet to be plugged. 

"The rivers are playing havoc in many districts where people helplessly watched their homes and cropland being eroded," said one official in the northern district of ajganj. 

The Gomti floods threatened to inundate the highway linking Dhaka to southeastern Chittagong port, officials said. 

Army and volunteers are keeping constant vigil, they said, without giving details. 

Meteorologists said the situation could deteriorate with more rains likely over Bangladesh, and neighboring India and Nepal. 

Of the 230 rivers that criss-cross Bangladesh, 57 flow down from the Himalayas through India, they said. 

So far three people have died and about 30 have been injured in the floods in Comilla, local officials said. 

Source: Reuters
Date: 15 Jul 1999

Bangladesh floods leave 70,000 homeless

By Nizam Ahmed 

DHAKA, July 15 (Reuters) - Soldiers in speed boats evacuated more people from flooded villages on Thursday and ferried food to those still huddled in their half-submerged homes after a river burst an embankment leaving some 70,000 people homeless. 

The raging Gomti river that swelled above danger levels after heavy rain caused havoc in Bangladesh's Comilla district, southeast of the capital Dhaka, flooding more than 30 villages. 

About half the homeless have been shifted to shelters by the local administration and army. Others fled their homes and took refuge on high ground or with friends and relatives, officials said. 

Water still pouring through a section of the 10-foot (three-metre) high embankment which collapsed three days ago at Ebderpur, 115 km (70 miles) southeast of Dhaka, has covered part of a vital highway linking Dhaka to southeastern Chittagong port. 

About 100 feet (30 metres) of the highway was now a foot under water, police said. Vehicles were still getting through but may be forced to abandon the route if water levels rose further, they said. 

"We still hope such a situation could be averted because the rains have ceased," said an official in the town of Comilla, 15 km (10 miles) from Ebderpur. 

Efforts to plug the breach on the embankment have so far failed. 

"It is humanly impossible to contain the river as the water is still rushing in through the breach," a flood control and disaster management official said. 

He said the river, already flowing above its danger levels, was still being fed by water rolling down from hills in the northeast Indian state of Tripura, which borders Bangladesh. 

No death has been reported from the flooding, officials said. 

"Some 30,000 people in 40 shelters and 10,000 marooned people in different villages are being fed twice a day since Wednesday," Chowdhury Golam Mowla, deputy commissioner of Comilla, told Reuters on Thursday. 

"Still there are many flood victims facing hunger and we are trying to reach food to them," he said, adding that about 70 boats have been used in the rescue-and-relief operations. 

Rice paddy on 20,000 acres (8,000 hectares) have been damaged by the Gomti flooding. Many villagers lost their cattle,officials said. 

Source: Agence France-Presse (AFP)
Date: 15 Jul 1999

Bangladesh floods force half a million from their homes  in one district

DHAKA, July 15 (AFP) - Floods have forced at least half a million people from their homes in one district of Bangladesh and drinking water is scarce there, a Red Cross official said Thursday. 

The situation in Comilla "is very, very serious with at least 500,000 people displaced," Ian Briggs of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies told AFP. 

He said staff who visited the area reported that drinking water was scarce and this was causing dysentery in some cases, but that government rations had reached the area and there were no food shortages. 

The district, 70 kilometers (45 miles) east of Dhaka, has been worst hit by this year's floods after a major embankment on the Gumti river gave way. 

Fresh areas were submerged in Comilla on Wednesday as runoff from the hills in India further swelled rivers. The main road linking Dhaka with Chittagong in the southeast was flooded and there were fears it might have to be closed altogether. 

The road between Comilla and the northeastern district of Sylhet was also threatened. Troops and police dumped sandbags to protect the highway, officials said. 

The shipping ministry warned riverboats against overloading given the turbulence in flood-swollen rivers. 

More than 230 rivers criss-cross the Bangladesh delta and the country is hit by floods every year. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said in a statement that the next three or four days would be crucial in determining whether this year's floods would be exceptional. 

Last year, Bangladesh's worst floods on record killed more than 1,200 people and caused economic losses estimated at more than 3.5 billion dollars. 

Officials say of Bangladesh's 64 districts have been hit by flooding to varying degrees, equivalent to 10 percent of the country. Whole villages have been submerged and thousands marooned after embankments broke without warning.
Newspapers reported three more deaths, bringing this year's unofficial death toll to 27 since flooding caused by torrential rain started last month. 

With no heavy rainfall Wednesday, the situation had improved slightly in some of the stricken districts, officials said. 

But the Flood Forecasting Centre said the situation in Sylhet and Comilla was serious and some rivers swelled further overnight. 

Nine embankments have been smashed by the sudden torrent during the past four days, with many more threatened by rising river levels. 

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed was scheduled to brief the press later Thursday on her return from an eight-day visit to London. 

Date: 13 Jul 1999

Army and villagers battle Bangladesh floods as  embankments fail

DHAKA, July 13 (AFP) - Troops and villagers were Tuesday battling floods in Bangladesh after swelling rivers smashed three major embankments and forced thousands to flee their homes, officials said. 

Flood waters inundated whole villages and thousands of residents were left marooned when embankments crumbled without warning during the night, officials said. 

Embankments in eastern Comilla, Feni and nearby Habiganj districts gave in, flooding large areas and causing substantial crop damage, they said. 

Three more deaths caused by drowning and a snake bite pushed the unofficial flood toll to 21 since last month. 

At least 10 rivers, among more than 230 that criss-cross the Bangladesh delta, were flowing above their danger marks. 

"New areas were flooded this morning and the Gumti river was still rising," Shafiqul Islam, a government aid official said from Comilla, 70 kilometers (45 miles) east of Dhaka. 

Troops and villagers were working around the clock to stop further breaches and to rescue those marooned, he said. 

The official BSS news agency said the army was called out to rescue 20,000 stranded people in Comilla district, bordering India's Tripura state, after the Gumti embankment developed a 200-foot breach. 

News reports said 300,000 people in the district had been affected. Muddy waters overflowed a highway linking Comilla to northeastern Sylhet district. 

Water Resources Minister Abdur Razzak visited the affected areas late Monday and assured villagers that the government would help repair the damage. 

The Khowai river in northeastern Habiganj also burst its banks, flooding vast areas, officials said. The river, swollen by rains and runoff from Indian states, is continuing to rise. 

In southeastern Feni, the Muhuri embankment breached in 13 places, inundating an area inhabitated by some 60,000 people.
Schools there have been turned into makeshift shelters. 

On Monday, Bangladesh's government said it was on alert for possible major flooding after continuing monsoon rains and rising river levels sparked fears of a repeat of last year's deluge, the worst in a century. 

Meteorologists said rains broke a 130-year record in some places in the Bangladesh delta. 

A Flood Information Centre official said 10 rivers were flowing above the danger mark, some bursting their banks and flooding areas close to the waterways. 

He said "severe" rainfall was experienced during the past 24 hours and the situation was likely to remain the same in the next several days. 

Six districts are already in the grip of floods after lakes and canals overflowed due to incessant rain, reports said. Some two million people have been hit so far this year and need aid, according to the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. 

"River erosion is more a problem this year and that has affected many people," Shamsul Islam of the Monitoring Cell in the prime minister's office told AFP. 

Experts said major floods occur when levels in three major river basins rise simultananeously and water flowing into the Bay of Bengal is blocked by high tides. 

Last year Bangladesh's worst floods on record killed more than 1,200 people and caused economic losses estimated at more than 3.5 billion dollars. 

INDIA

Source: Agence France-Presse (AFP)
Date: 23 Aug 1999

Death toll in Bihar floods reaches 229

NEW DELHI, Aug 23 (AFP) - The death toll from flooding in the eastern Indian state of Bihar has reached 229, the United News of India reported on Monday. 

It said eight more flood-related deaths were reported from Bihar's inundated central district. 

Officials said most rivers were rising menacingly in the impoverished state where 2,768 villages spanning 17 districts have been under water since July. 

Almost five million people have been affected by the floods in Bihar, the worst in the region in more than a decade, the officials said. 

Train services in parts of Bihar such as Katihar and Barauni have snapped with railway tracks being badly damaged by the rising water. 

The floods began late last month after torrential monsoon rains, and the death toll from Bihar, Assam, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh has reached 338. 

Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
Date: 13 Aug 1999

India - Floods OCHA Situation Report No. 2

Ref: OCHA/GVA - 99/0111 

India - Floods
OCHA Situation Report No. 2
13 August 1999 

1. The Office of the United Nations Resident Coordinator in New Delhi reports that in the States of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Punjab, Tripura and West Bengal, sizeable flood-related damages have been reported. In total, some 5.5 million people of 6,350 villages in 77 districts have been affected and 29,535 houses suffered damage. 325 deaths have been reported. 

2. The flood situation in the state of Bihar has worsened with the flood waters of almost all the major rivers in North Bihar inundating large areas. Flood waters have entered over 2,504 villages of 21 districts. 

3. The flood situation in Karnataka continues to be serious. The Government has evacuated more than 2,000 people from low-lying areas and set up relief camps and other facilities to provide essential items to the affected population. 

4. According to the local administration, the overall situation in all flood-affected districts in Assam has improved. 

5. The Government of India has not asked for international assistance. 

6. OCHA is in close contact with the UN Resident Coordinator's Office in New Delhi in order to monitor further developments.

7. This situation report and further information on ongoing emergencies are also available on The OCHA Internet Website at
http://www.reliefweb.int 

number: +41-22-917 34
In case of emergency: Tel. +41-22-917 20 10 

Desk Officers: Ms. S. Metzner-Strack/Mr. R. Mueller/Ms. M. Kondo,
OCHA Disaster Response Branch, direct Tel. +41-22-917 2144/3131/1997 

Press to contact: Ms. E. Ponomareva, direct Tel. +41-22-917 23 36 

Telex: 414242 OCHA CH
Fax: +41-22-917 00 23
E-mail: info@dha.unicc.org

367 killed in Indian monsoon rains, normal life  disrupted

New Delhi (dpa) - The death toll due to floods, landslides and house collapses triggered by torrential monsoon rains in India rose to 367 Thursday as new areas came under flooded rivers in eastern and northern india, reports said. 

The situation took a turn for the worse in the eastern state of Bihar, where 147 monsoon-related deaths were reported. The rivers in the state breached their embankments in many places, flooding vast areas. 

The swollen rivers in the state are also menacing parts of neighbouring Uttar Pradesh. A Press Trust of India report said 4 million people in 1,500 villages have been affected by floods in Bihar. 

Landslides caused by incessant rains blocked traffic in the Himalayan areas of Uttar Pradesh, paralyzing normal life. Major rivers were in spate elsewhere in the state, where eight people have been killed due to rains. 

In the western state of Maharashtra 46 people have been killed, and 34 in neighbouring Gujrat. Eighteen deaths were reported from northeastern Tripura and 13 from Assam. 

There were 18 deaths in southern Kerala and 17 in Karnataka, 16 in West Bengal, eight in southern Andhra Pradesh and five in northern Himachal Pradesh and one each in Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab. 

CARE assists flood victims in India: Food, shelter and medical supplies are most urgently needed

July 26, 1999 -- In response to torrential rains and deadly flooding in northeastern India's Bihar State, CARE plans to provide food and emergency relief supplies to 80,000 families in the affected villages. Early monsoons and record rainfall have caused Bihar's major rivers to overflow their banks, causing at least 55 deaths and affecting more than 3.8 million people in 13 districts.
The flooding, which has been concentrated in northern Bihar along the border with Nepal, has also inundated more than 900,000 acres of farm land and caused more than $1million in crop damage, although these figures are expected to rise. Many people in flood-affected areas have lost their homes and face food shortages, a lack of clean drinking water and the threat of contracting waterborne diseases. 

All major rivers in Bihar have either overflowed their embankments or are approaching dangerous levels, and with additional rainfall predicted over the next few weeks, the flooding is expected to worsen. The government of Bihar has started to provide aid to affected families, but it has been unable to fully meet the needs of the millions of people who have been devastated by this natural disaster. Therefore, the government has asked CARE to help provide emergency assistance. CARE initially plans to
provide the following relief supplies:

• Food supplies (corn-soy blend and vegetable oil)
• Tents
• Plastic sheets (for temporary shelter)
• Medicines

"Flooding is the worst thing to happen in a densely populated place such as Bihar," says Isam Ghanim, director of CARE's Asia Region. "The millions of people affected require urgent assistance to meet their immediate needs as well as to deal with the painful loss of their crops and farm animals. CARE has been working in Bihar for many decades and is respected as a partner and symbol of hope." 

CARE in India 

CARE has been working in India for almost 50 years. Since 1982, CARE has supported the Indian government's Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) program, a nutrition and health program which serves millions of poor women and children, and is the largest program of its kind in the world. CARE also operates several primary health care, small enterprise development and girls' education projects and provides emergency relief to victims of natural disasters as needed. CARE works in eight Indian states: Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. 

About CARE 

CARE is one of the world's largest international relief and development organizations, with projects in more than 60 countries. Last year, CARE programs worked with more than 35 million men, women and children in their fight to overcome poverty and build a better life. 

CONTACT: Claudia Chang or Karen Robbins, 
CARE USA, 
404-681-4579, ext. 383/385 

Date: 26 Jul 1999

Floods in Kerala

In the India South Western Territory the monsoon season has come earlier than usual with constantly heavy rain, day and night which has created a very serious situation. 

Thousands of people have moved to emergency shelters such as schools and other buildings and our own Salvation Army schools are filled with people. 

Beside those who are brought in emergency shelters there are many trapped in low land areas, especially in Tiruvella and Mavelikara Divisions. In the emergency situation an appeal was made to The Salvation Army by local authorities for us to help at this critical situation. 

Help has been given to the people who are without food in lowland water areas. Two teams left THQ for Mavelikara and Tiruvella Divisions, under the leadership of Social Services Secretary, to distribute rice. 

The team then travelled on by boat to the people who were sitting, trapped in the water, without food. Moved by compassion, the Territorial Commander, Commissioner Mohan Masih, rushed to Tiruvella Division to reach the worst affected areas.
Travelling by boat, the people from various areas which are isolated by water, were brought to receive the timely relief. 

The reporter from the leading newspaper, Malayalam Manorama, came to take photographs and report. In the report he referred to the slogan so often associated with the work of the Army, 'where there is a need the Salvation Army is found there'. 

It is also reported that over 34 people have died and thousands are homeless due to this heavy rain. 

AUTHOR: Report Lieut-Colonel Vasant Pawar 
ORIGINAL PUBLICATION: INR 99/27

PAKISTAN

Pakistan: Cyclone situation report 

appeal no. 13/99
situation report no. 3
period covered: 21 June - 10 August 1999 

The massive relief effort, which mitigated the worst effects of the cyclone, is almost over. To help the most seriously affected through the difficult period preceding the November harvest, the Pakistan Red Crescent is supplying them with food packs, domestic kits and hut construction materials and making medicines available for the next three months to its mobile medical teams. 

The context 

The cyclone that struck the south-east coast of Pakistan, in the vicinity of the Indus delta, on 20 May caused massive destruction to housing in the coastal towns and villages of the two districts of Badin and Thatta in Sindh province, and to agriculture and the fishing industry. At least 600,000 people in 5,200 villages were affected and 191 people, mostly fishermen, were killed. Several hundred persons remain missing and are presumed dead. Over 75,000 houses were destroyed and some 59,000 damaged. 400,000 acres of agricultural land were inundated with salt water and 28,000 head of livestock perished. 675 fishing boats were destroyed. Much of the infrastructure of the two districts -- roads, communications systems and electrical lines -- was damaged.

Latest events 

Through a major effort by the Pakistan government, the armed services and the Pakistan Red Crescent (PRCS) in association with the Federation, the situation in the disaster area has improved, and in some villages is returning to normal. Roads have been rebuilt, electricity restored and canals dredged. Building material has been supplied, food provided and the essentials of life given to many of the affected families. The government has made cash settlements to those families who can confirm loss of a family member or whose home was destroyed or damaged. This assistance by the government, the armed services, PRCS / Federation and local NGOs has made a major difference in restoring normality in the disaster area. At this time, most of the other agencies have scaled back or ceased their relief efforts entirely. 

Some people have nevertheless slipped through the social safety net provided. These are generally people living on single family plots of land away from villages or towns. The further away from the main transportation routes victims are located, the less likely they will be to have received adequate assistance. Some 400 families are still without permanent shelter as they have not received compensation from the government due to their family members still being considered "missing". 

Another approximately 5,000 families in the two districts affected are still forced to rely on borrowed or inadequate domestic utensils. 

Many of the people in the disaster area are suffering from medical problems derived from the unsafe drinking water and from the dust. Dysentery, diarrhoea, skin infections and eye irritations are widespread. As the monsoon season has started, malaria is becoming a serious problem. 

Although there are no critical food shortages, many people lack the resources to purchase food as a result of losing their crops or fishing boats. Assistance is required to help tide these people over until the next harvest, expected in November. 

Red Cross/Red Crescent action 

Initial Action 

The PRCS/Federation was among the first to respond to the cyclone. Donations of food and clothing were immediately delivered to the disaster area, often by helicopter or boat. Approximately 6,000 food parcels and 1,000 domestic kits were distributed in this manner. The extensive need of medical attention was quickly identified and the PRCS organised a series of mobile clinics in response: doctors, other medical staff and medicines were taken directly into the villages. This work is still ongoing and constitutes a real success story for the PRCS. 

Identification of Beneficiaries 

Parallel to its relief activities, the PRCS has spent the last month identifying families most in need of assistance through an extensive family survey. Nearly 7,000 families have been interviewed to determine their present needs and their resources prior to the cyclone. Specifically, this aimed at identifying the 400 families who will receive shelters and shelter materials. In addition, approximately 5,000 families were identified to receive further supplies of domestic utensils and food. 

Tendering and Distribution 

Contracts have been signed to purchase the final supply of goods needed for the above beneficiaries. Tendering is under way for the 13 items of the domestic kits:, total value CHF 111,964. (850 Domestic Kits at a cost of CHF 24,973 have already been purchased and distributed.) 

Purchasing of 14,452 Food Packs - each sufficient for one family for one week and containing wheat flour, rice, sugar, dal channa, salt and cooking oil, for a total value of CHF 100,726, has begun. (1550 Food Packs at a cost of 20,757 CHF have already been purchased and distributed.) Hut construction material, sufficient for 400 huts, value CHF 90,909, and sufficient medicines for one mobile clinic per day for three months, value CHF 102,885, is also in progress. (Twenty-seven mobile medical clinics have been conducted at a cost of 21,2 CHF.) 

The per unit costs vary between what already has been purchased and what is presently being tendered, largely due to the comprehensive tendering process which has brought the prices down to a very competitive level. In addition, the content of the domestic, food and medicine purchases have varied, in order to reflect the updated and changing needs. The final distribution of domestic kits will be tailored to the specific needs of separate villages and, if necessary, to specific households. 

Distribution 

Distribution of these goods is taking place throughout August. By the end of the month, all earmarked and time constrained donated money will have been spent and the goods distributed. 

Outstanding needs 

It is expected that when the present goods have been distributed, 100% of shelter needs in the area will have been met.

Additionally, the most needy will have received an additional three weeks of food along with basic domestic items. The food requirement will continue until the harvest in November, but sufficient food stocks exist from other sources so that, although food may be in short supply, there is no danger of starvation. It is expected that the medical needs of the Thatta and Badin people will continue after this appeal is completed. Any further requirements will be identified by the PRCS, and as far as possible, included in its other medical programmes. 

Emergency Preparedness 

The capability of the PRCS to respond to natural disasters and other calamities needs to be augmented. In the immediate aftermath of the cyclone, most of the tents and domestic goods despatched to the disaster area were sent from Islamabad. Some of these items were not immediately needed and were held in storage in Sindh province. In the meantime, the national society had ordered replenishments for its stocks, amounting to CHF 19,745 for tents and CHF 2,663 for kerosene stoves. Any original items which were not distributed, including small quantities of tents and kerosene stoves, will be added to the national contingency stocks for emergency use. No earmarked funds were used for this purpose. A small contribution to building the local disaster preparedness capacity and experience is also foreseen at the end of this programme, but again no earmarked or time constrained items will be used for this purpose. 

Conclusion 

The immediate action of the Pakistan government, the army, NGOs and PRCS had a significant impact on meeting the initial needs of the most vulnerable. The distributions now being undertaken by the PRCS will help to bridge the gap in coverage between the end of significant emergency assistance and the November harvest. 

Peter Rees-Gildea
Director,
Operations Funding and Reporting Department 

Hiroshi Higashiura
Director,
Asia & Pacific Department 

Cyclone itself was killer, but aftermath possibly more devastating, says   United Nations in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD, 18 June (UN Information Centre) -- On 20 May, one of the worst cyclones to hit Pakistan devastated the coastal region in the districts of Thatta and Badin (Province of Sindh). The Pakistani Government and the Armed Forces took the lead in providing relief to the populations affected, and the United Nations and international donors were requested to provide additional support. Almost a month after the disaster, United Nations officials said today at the weekly briefing in Islamabad that the original response proved adequate, but that the post-cyclone situation potentially carries more uncertainty and dangers. According to the final toll of Cyclone 2A, 189 people were killed and 150 are still missing. More than 138,000 houses collapsed, and 675 boats disappeared. Some 15,000 cattle heads and sheep died, and 256,000 hectares of land have been badly damaged. In addition to national donations, which represented the bulk of the assistance, the World Health Organization
(WHO) provided $50,000 worth of drugs and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) gave water purification tablets and jerry cans. 

Regional Manager of the World Food Programme (WFP) Bronek Szynalski, who is the designated United Nations focal point in case of emergencies in Pakistan, described the Government immediate relief effort and the United Nations system's response as satisfactory. He underlined that the three key areas concerning the immediate needs (drinking water, medicine and shelter) had been properly addressed by the Government at both the federal and provincial levels. As a result, the figures of the dead and missing persons were much less than the thousands originally feared. Mr. Szynalski, however, noted that better coordination structures are required in the future at all levels. In particular, he stressed that the early warning mechanism could be further improved so as to avoid undue loss of life. 

Mohamed Ali Barzgar, the WHO's Chief of Mission for Pakistan, has just returned from the affected region, and stated that it remains utterly devastated. "People have lost all their means of livelihood: their house, their money, their crops, their cattle. The emergency may be over, but the situation is still extremely dire", he said. Mr. Barzgar also praised the Department of Health for its quick intervention, which had avoided major epidemics. 

A representative of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Faizul Bari, explained that the greatest difficulty, aside from the reconstruction of houses, now resided in the fact that agriculture was the main staple in the districts of Thatta and Badin for some 750,000 people and was unlikely to recover any time soon. "There is actually more damage in the post-cyclone situation because the disaster struck late in the agricultural season and no crops will be produced this year. In addition, the ground was saturated with salt water, which renders its exploitation impossible", he said. Cotton, sugar cane, rice and mango production is severely affected. The FAO was requested to provide seeds, fertilizer and Gypsum to desalinize the land, as well as livestock medicine. 

Date: 28 May 1999

Sharif announces grant for Pakistani cyclone victims

KARACHI, May 28 (AFP) - Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif Friday announced a grant of 500 million rupees (50 million dollars) to help the survivors of a cyclone last week that killed 254 people. 

Sharif also distributed relief cheques among 0 survivors who lost family members in the devastating cyclone in the south which also left thousands homeless, in his third visit to affected areas, officials said. 

The premier vowed that a new town would be built under army supervision to replace lost homes, adding he would personally "make sure that every affected man settles down." 

Around 10,000 army and navy personnel are engaged in relief work, the officials said, adding hundreds of marooned people had been evacuated by helicopter and several tonnes of food distributed in the coastal districts of Thatta and Badin. 

"It will be a long journey for the survivors to return to normality, but we are trying to help them start their lives again," Sindh province Governor Moeenuddin Haider told AFP. 

"We are receiving aid from abroad and philanthropists at home," Haider said. 

Around 25,000 homeless people have been sheltered in 32 relief camps in Badin and Thatta districts, out of an estimated 150,000 people affected by the cylone. 

Officials said about 50 percent of property, cattle and personal belongings have been washed away or destroyed in the two districts. 

About 50,000 houses and huts were damaged and around 152,000 acres (60,800 hectares) of farmland seriously damaged, they added. 

Date: 26 Apr 1999

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka Floods OCHA Situation Report No. 1

Ref: OCHA/GVA - 99/0057 

Sri Lanka - Floods
OCHA Situation Report No. 1
26 April 1999 

1. The United Nations Resident Coordinator in Colombo reported that 200,000 people were left homeless following torrential rains continuing since 19 April in the Western and Southern administrative districts of Colombo, Gampaha, Kalutara, Galle and Matara on 19 April. Six persons were reportedly killed. 

2. The rainy weather was caused by a disturbance in the Bay of Bengal and was expected to continue for a few more days, according to the information released by the Department of Meteorology on 22 April. Colombo saw rainfall of 286.6 mm in 24 hours from 20 to 21 April. 

3. The train service from Colombo to Kandy was totally disrupted when a huge rock crashed into the rail track during heavy showers on 20 April. 

4. The President has set up an Emergency Coordinating Committee to deal with the flood situation, headed by the Minister of Housing and Urban Development. Disaster Management Units have been set up by District and Divisional Secretaries in affected Districts. The Navy has deployed seven boats to assist in relief operations, and the Air Force will carry out reconnaissance missions in flood-affected areas to identify locations requiring rescue operations and other forms of assistance. 

5. The Government has allocated LKR 2 million (USD 29,200) to provide immediate relief to the affected people. It is currently managing the situation with its own resources and has made no appeal for international assistance. 

6. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) reported that an IFRC relief coordinator had been conducting an assessment mission in the flood-affected area since 23 April. 

7. OCHA is closely monitoring the situation through the Office of the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Colombo. 

8. This Situation Report, together with further information on ongoing emergencies is also available on the OCHA Internet Website at: http://www.reliefweb.int 

number: +41-22-917 34
In case of emergency: Tel. +41-22-917 20 10
Desk Officers: Ms. S. Metzner-Strack / Mr. R. Mueller / Ms. M. Kondo,
OCHA Disaster Response Branch, Direct Tel. +41-22-917 21 44/31 31/19 97
Press contact: Ms. E. Ponomareva, Direct Tel. +41-22-917 23 36
Telex: 414242 OCHA CH
Fax: +41-22-917 00 23
E-mail: info@dha.unicc.org 

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