This is the sixth consecutive year that Orissa is under the grip of another major disaster, a flood affecting more than 3 million people in 21 districts. With more than 70 percent of its one billion citizens engaged in agriculture, India depends on the monsoon's rains. However, parts of the country are ill equipped to deal with the annual deluge.

Rainfall is continuing in the entire coastal region of Orissa and Chattisgarh. Many people are in temporary camps on the river embankments and on roads, many with no means of protection against the elements. There is a very urgent need of temporary shelter materials. The situation of women and children is precarious and, although the government and others are providing assistance like baby food and dry foods for adults, the supplies have not yet reached the affected living in those areas that have been cut off.

To date 54 persons have lost their lives due to drowning, falling under collapsed houses and snakebite. About 1,370 villages are still marooned with no contact outside. The situation is exacerbated by the lack of potable water and the incidence of water borne diseases is rising.

Conditions of landless daily-labourers and marginal farm families are the most precarious, croplands are completely sub-merged and crops on 2,97,500 hectares of land is going to be damaged, as per the preliminary estimate, this will affect the summer crop by 80%. There will be acute shortage of seed for next winter cropping. Daily labour-work in the agriculture sector will not be available for the coming months, which will severely affect people who depend upon daily wages.

ACT members in the area Churches Auxiliary for Social Action (CASA), the Lutheran World Service (LWS) India and the United Evangelical Church in India are proposing programmes comprising: food relief, non-food items, shelter, water and sanitation, basic medicines, food for work and seeds. The relief work has already started.

Project Completion Date:

CASA - 31 October 2003

UELCI - 29 February 2004

LWSI - 30 June 2004

Summary of Appeal Targets, Pledges/Contributions Received and Balance Requested

Signed by:

Thor-Arne Prois, ACT Director

For full details of proposals and budgets, please click below to download a PDF file of the entire Appeal.

India, Orissan & Chattisgarh - Assistance to Flood Affected - ASIN34 (file size: 94 Kb)

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