New floods in India: Malteser International extends emergency relief for flood victims

"All streets here are flooded; in panic, the people escape onto dams", Annette Wächter-Schneider, Senior Desk Officer for India at Malteser International, currently travelling in the disaster region, reports.

Uttar Pradesh/Cologne. The federal state Uttar Pradesh in northern India is flooded: After further heavy monsoon rains, more than 500,000 m³ of water have been discharged from the overfull dams in neighbouring Nepal.

“All streets here are flooded; in panic, the people escape onto dams”, Annette Wächter-Schneider, Senior Desk Officer for India at Malteser International, currently travelling in the disaster region, reports. Already in 2007, devastating floods had afflicted Uttar Pradesh. “Four weeks ago, we handed out boats to the population - only with these, the people can find refuge on the dams”, Wächter-Schneider says. “As daily labourers, they live from hand to mouth and have no stockpiles. They are now urgently in need of food and further assistance”, the expert underlines.

In the neighbouring federal state Bihar, Malteser International has already been assisting the flood victims on the border with Nepal during the past weeks. In the mid of August, a dam of the river Kosi in Nepal broke and lead to severe floods, amongst others in India. Millions of the poorest people in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and the neighbouring regions are affected by the floods. One of the causes is the heaviest monsoon rain since years. 

Together with the Federal Foreign Office of Germany, Malteser International has already provided around 165,000 Euro for the emergency relief.

You can help with a donation to Malteser International Americas. 

View current photos on our online database at: http://php.malteser.de/cpg133/thumbnails.php?album=245