One million lose homes in India floods; relief poor
Pastor Dale Morgan
One million lose homes in India floods; relief poor*
06 Sep 2006 07:37:25 GMT
Source: Reuters
By Sanjaya Jena
BHUBANESWAR, India, Sept 6 (Reuters) - At least one million people have
lost their homes to floods in eastern India, but government relief is
slow and inadequate, voluntary groups said on Wednesday.
The flooding, triggered by annual monsoon rains over the past week, has
hit an area where 2.3 million people live and damaged thousands of acres
of paddy in the coastal state of Orissa.
But days after floodwaters submerged hundreds of villages in 12 of
Orissa's 30 districts, authorities have failed to reach around one
million people who remain stranded without shelter, food and medicines,
say charities.
"People are still desperately asking for dry food and drinking water and
infants are almost starving due to non-supply of baby food," said
Archarya Kalyan Anand of Sarvoday Rahat Abhiyan, a charity distributing
food and medicine in Kendrapara district, 80 km (50 miles) east of the
state capital Bhubaneswar.
"The administration is still in the wilderness and yet to reach some of
the worst-hit villages."
Authorities deny they have failed to deal with the disaster, saying
relief efforts had initially been hampered due to continuous rain.
"I do admit some voluntary organisations have reached the affected
villages prior to government agencies, but it does not mean the
government has failed to discharge its responsibilities," said
Jagadananda Panda, a top relief official.
But volunteer groups say requests to authorities for material such as
polythene sheets have gone unheeded.
As rains continue, thousands of people forced from their flooded homes
are camping on river embankments and national highways with little or no
shelter.
Others found shelter in local schools and colleges.
"My house is destroyed and all my belongings and the standing crop in
the field have been washed away," said Premalata, a 50-year-old widow
from Shyamsundarpur village in Kendrapara who had taken refuge in a
college building.
Officials warn of a epidemic in flooded areas and say they are sending
medical teams to flood-hit villages, but charities say there are areas
where no government agencies are present.
"Our medical team is providing healthcare support and free medicine to
at least 2,000 people every day, whom the government system has failed
to each," said Abhaya Pati, the secretary of Utkal Bipanna Sahayata
Samiti, a leading volunteer group.
Three government officials were transferred for mismanagement of relief
operations last week, as hundreds of boats brought from other states for
relief and rescue were left unused.