ACT News Update

India 0305

West Bengal floods leave thousands stranded: ACT member LWSI assists

By Rina Chunder, ACT International

Calcutta, India, November 10, 2005—Incessant and heavy rains over the last month have filled rivers to overflowing and have caused widespread floods in India's West Bengal, bringing destruction to large areas in north and south 24-Parganas and parts of Midnapore district.

A team from Lutheran World Service India (LWSI), a member of the global alliance Action by Churches Together (ACT) International, made it to some of the worst affected areas (blocks of Egra sub-division of East Midnapore district) by boat and in some instances on banana raft, in cases where the land was completely cut off by the water mass. The aim was to visit relief camps being run by the local administration.

The death toll in this area alone stands at ten, while thousands of people are living under open skies on roads and embankments—dealing with health problems resulting from waterlogged and unhygienic living conditions.

Overall, more than 600,000 people from 600 villages have been severely affected by the floods in these five blocks of Egra sub-division of East Midnapore district, where LWSI-ACT aims to assist the most vulnerable in the communities. Already on the way to be distributed are 3,000 high-density plastic sheets, 350 cartons of high-protein biscuits (BP-5), 300,000 halogen tablets, 5 metric tons of bleach powder and 10 metric tons of lime dust.

The halogen tablets will ensure safe drinking water, and the bleach powder and lime dust will be used to disinfect the waterlogged areas and prevent the spread of waterborne diseases. The high-protein biscuits will be given to expectant and nursing mothers and children under the age of six as a nutritional supplement.

While the floodwater is receding and people are trying to go back to their villages, large areas are still waterlogged, with several villages still submerged. Most of the mud houses have collapsed, while village roads are severely damaged or have simply disappeared.

Some 250 families are still living on roads in Egra sub-division. Local NGOs are bringing them cooked food and the district administration is distributing food grains. However, people have an immediate need for at least temporary shelters, and will also need assistance to reconstruct their houses. Most of the tube wells are now unusable and there is a dire need for sanitation materials. The tube wells will have to be rehabilitated.

The floods have caused many people to lose their standing crops and fisheries, leaving them without any livelihood.

LWSI-ACT expects to assist 3,000 families in the first phase of its operation and has been designated as the lead relief agency in Egra sub-division by the district administration.

Rina Chunder is the Information and Documentation Officer for Lutheran World Service India, a member of ACT International.