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India

Response to floods in Indian states

Geneva, 06/09/2006: ACT members responding to floods in several Indian states have turned their attention to the flood situation in southern and southwestern districts of Rajasthan, which has worsened since the third week of August.

© UELCI-ACT

Scenes of the floods in the East Godavari district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, August 2006.

Source: ACT International

In several villages in the districts of Barmer, Jaiselmer and Udaipur, the rains and subsequent floods have affected thousands of people, their livestock and houses. The floods, described as one of the worst tragedies in the state in recent decades, were triggered by unusually heavy rains in these areas.

More than 100 hours of continuous heavy rainfall have made flood-affected villages inaccessible. Barmer district, which normally receives 277 millimeters of rainfall annually on average, has recorded 577 millimeters since August 19.

More than 800,000 of Barmer district’s two million residents are reported to have been affected by the rains. There are reports of large-scale damage to houses and property. 47,000 cattle have died in the floods, according to official sources. According to unconfirmed reports, 5,200 houses are damaged, and crops worth 300 million Indian rupees have been lost.

© UELCI-ACT

Millions affected by the rains

Floods throughout several Indian states have severely affected millions of people since the second half of July. A Reuters article posted on Reliefweb on August 9 reported that by that time 4,5 million people had been driven from their homes because of floods.

All three ACT members in India are addressing the needs following the floods through ACT Appeal ASIN62. United Evangelical Lutheran Church in India (UELCI) is working in Orissa and parts of Andhra Pradesh. Lutheran World Service India (LWSI) is currently working in parts of Andhra Pradesh. Churches Auxiliary for Social Action (CASA) is responding through relief teams in Maharashtra, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh.

The ACT Coordinating Office and the ACT members in India are in the process of revising the original flood appeal for India to include a response in Rajasthan as well as expanded activities in Orissa, and expect to share the revision (No. 2) within the next ten days.

DanChurchAid is a member of ACT International - a global alliance of churches and related agencies working to save lives and support communities in emergencies.