A severe cold spell has swept over Bangladesh, northern India and
Nepal causing more than 740 deaths since mid December 2002. Bangladesh
has been hit hardest and meteorologists have forecast another cold
front for later in the month.
Bangladesh
The cold front has affected an estimated population of 50,000 in
the northern and north-western districts of Bangladesh. Impoverished
villagers, infants and elderly people have been the first victims
of the cold that has been worsened by thick fog which has kept daytime
temperatures very low, causing massive damage to agriculture.
The daily Jugantar newspaper reported that 109 people across the
country had died due to the cold by January 10, bringing the toll
to 396. No official death toll has been released but newspapers have
given almost daily accounts of deaths due to the cold.
In the western city of Rajshahi, 210 kilometres (131 miles) west
of Dhaka, the temperature plummeted to 5.6 degrees Celsius (42 Fahrenheit)
making it the coldest place this winter in Bangladesh. The country's
average winter temperature is 11 degrees Celsius (51.8 degrees Fahrenheit).
The Government of Bangladesh has not requested international assistance
but has appealed to all humanitarian organisations in the country
to assist the population by distributing blankets and warm clothing
to the most needy, children and elderly.
On 9 January 2003, the World Food Program chaired an inter-agency
emergency meeting with the Government, United Nations Development
Program, the International Federation of Red Cross Societies, as well
as international and national NGOs to discuss the situation and co-ordinate
the ongoing relief operations. The Government of Bangladesh has distributed
5,000 blankets from its disaster emergency stocks. UN organisations
as well as international and local NGOs have started to assist the
vulnerable families.
ACT members, Christian Commission for Development in Bangladesh
(CCDB), Rangpur Dinajpur Rural Service (RDRS),
Church of Bangladesh (CoB), Social Health & Education Development
(SHED) Board and Koinoinia met on 12 January to
co-ordinate their emergency response. The ACT members have already
distributed the following items from their emergency stocks:
RDRS: 500 Sarees, 500 lunghis and 1,500 children’s garments
CoB: 400 blankets
SHED Board: 50 Sarees, 50 lunghis and 30 cartons of BP-5 biscuits
CCDB: 2,400 blankets, 1,000 children’s garments and 100 cartons
of BP-5 (high protein) biscuits.
CCDB plans to further distribute 10,000 blankets, 1,000 sarees, 3,000
sets of children’s garments, 350 cartons of BP-5 biscuits and provide
food assistance to 1,000 families. CCDB has already provided 500 blankets,
500 sets of children’s garments and 25 cartons of BP-5 biscuits to
the Church of Bangladesh and 1,100 blankets and 30 cartons of BP-5
biscuits to SHED Board.
The ACT members have further decided to prepare a joint RRF appeal
for the amount of $ 50,000. ACT CO urgently requests its funding members
to indicate pledges on the basis of this Alert to enable ACT CO to
deal with this request as an RRF.
India
The cold front has also claimed about 100 lives in India according
to media reports. Most of the victims are homeless, street dwellers
and beggars. The authorities in the worst hit areas of Uttar Pradesh
and Bihar states have been distributing blankets and lighting bonfires
on street corners to keep people warm. Schools and government buildings
are being used as shelters for the homeless. ACT member Churches
Auxiliary for Social Action (CASA) started the distribution of
20,000 woolen blankets to orphanages, hostels, hospitals, leprosy
colonies, old people’s homes, pavement and slum dwellers in anticipation
of the cold weather, in November 2002. CASA is not planning to provide
further support at the moment.
Nepal
In Nepal, two people were reported by the police in the Mideast Tarai
region, Mahottari District to have died as a result of the cold. A
sudden rise in the number of patients suffering from flu, pneumonia
and scabies has been reported in the district hospital and health
centres. ACT CO has contacted its member LWF Nepal for any additional
information.
