South Asia Floods, As Bad As Boxing Day Tsunami

South Asia Floods, as bad as the boxing day tsunami

Sixty years after independence to India, Bangladesh and Pakistan, 40 million people are suffering in the region as a result of flooding, yet media attention and public response to this humanitarian crisis remains extremely limited.

"The impact on people from Pakistan to India, from Bangladesh to Nepal, is difficult to comprehend. We are talking about a population almost twice that of Australia", said Caritas Australia's Chief Executive Officer, Jack de Groot.

"Thankfully not as many have perished as did in the Boxing Day tsunami, but many millions more are affected. If we do not get the required resources quickly, the threat of water borne disease could turn this from a disaster into a human catastrophe very quickly".

"Sixty years ago when three of these countries achieved independence, they did so with the support of the international community. Today the international community must come to their assistance," said Mr de Groot.

"These are the worst floods on record in the region and yet the plight of so many people remains invisible in our media," he said.

"The scale of devastation from the 2007 monsoonal rain has gone beyond what communities and governments usually cope with. Many thousands of people have lost their lives with exact numbers being difficult to calculate. Millions need urgent and ongoing assistance including food, medical supplies, clean water and shelter".

"The people hit by this monsoon were already vulnerable, getting by on meagre daily wages and without a safety net to overcome a disaster beyond their control," Mr de Groot said.

"The loss of harvests is not only felt by land owners, but by the workers, often landless, who depend on that income and by the rest of the community that depends on the food."

Caritas Australia is working with local partners in India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Pakistan providing emergency relief, food clean water, emergency shelter and medical support. Caritas partners are paying special attention to issues of clean water and the threat of water-borne disease-common dangers during floods due to water run-off and contamination of wells, ponds and other water sources.

"The current estimate of funds required for Caritas Australia partners to support affected communities is US$10 million", Mr de Groot said.

"Caritas Australia has already committed over AUD $315,000 from funds provided by our supporters through Project Compassion and other donations in the last year, but we will need the generous support of the public for this appeal to meet the needs in South Asia today."

ENDS

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