|
|
Change Your Life! |
Receding floods leave behind disease and death |
|||
|
News
|
||||
August 14, 2000
GAUHATI (AP) - Flood waters began receding in northeastern India Saturday, leaving a trail of disease and death, officials said. Health officials said waterborne diseases have taken a toll of 58 lives so far during the current wave of floods which have forced millions of people out of their homes in Assam and neighboring Bihar state, according to Indian officials. "The flood-hit people are mainly suffering from dysentery, diarrhea and gastroenteritis. This is our common experience during every flood season in Assam," said Dr. B.C. Kro, Director of Health Services in Assam. Kro said adequate quantities of anti-diarrhoeal medicines had been dispatched to the flood-hit areas but local media in Assam has reported that flood victims were not receiving medicines. Hopes of early international aid for Assam's four million flood affected people brightened Saturday with Britain offering 250,000 pound ( dlrs 375,000) in response to an appeal from the International Federation of the Red Cross Friday. "If aid doesn't reach them soon, we may begin to see serious malnutrition and waterborne diseases," said Geoffrey Dennis, head of the federation's delegation in south Asia, in a statement. Britains International Development minister George Foulkes said in London Saturday that his government is keen to do everything it can to help the flood victims. Preliminary estimates by the Assam government of damage caused by the floods has been put at dlrs 44.5 million. Revenue minister Zoii Nath Sharma said the state government had spent more than dlrs 9 million on restoration and relief work. The federal government has given the Assam administration only dlrs 6.6 million so far, said Assam Chief Minister Prafullah Kumar Mahanta. He welcomed the initiative of the Red Cross to solicit aid for the flood victims of Assam. "The extent of the devastation is so great that we welcome all forms of assistance," Mahanta said. In addition to health workers, the Indian army was helping in flood relief operations. An Army statement issued Saturday said soldiers had rescued 4,000 marooned people during the past week. The Army was called out to assist civil authorities and army helicopters dropped two tons of food in the worst hit districts of Kokrajhar and Nalbari. |
