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Disease kills children in India flood camps
 Tuesday 9 September 2008 With little else to occupy them, children are playing around in this water and inadvertently drinking it and getting sick. ” It is now three weeks since floodwaters first breached the banks of the Kosi river and many areas are still submerged. Families have officially been warned that they shouldn’t return home while the threat of flooding continues, even in areas where water levels are receding. The Indian meteorological office predicts further rain in the next few days. Mr Chandy said: “This emergency is far from over. Some children will be living in relief camps for another six months and without big improvements more of them will die of disease. Young children are particularly susceptible to water-borne diseases, like diarrhoea, which are a huge risk in a situation like this.” The flooding in northern India is currently affecting five million people, including three million children. Save the Children is calling on world governments to donate money to this emergency to help aid agencies respond to the needs of these children. Save the Children's response Save the Children has started a relief operation in Araria, one of the worst affected districts bordering Nepal, and is currently reaching 1,500 families, including around 6,000 children with food distribution and clean drinking water. The charity has opened a community kitchen in the relief camps so that families that lost all their belongings including cooking utensils can cook for themselves . With more rain expected, and no signs of the monsoon rains easing, the situation for families and children in India is getting desperate. Already, around 2,400 people have lost their lives in the worst flooding seen in Bihar and Orissa in over 50 years. 18 districts across the state of Bihar have been affected. Communities are not adequately equipped to deal with floods in these areas, which are not traditionally flood-prone. In Orissa, the Mahanadi River has 61 breaches along its embankments, which has resulted in widespread flooding in all directions. Villages and farmland have been devastated and an estimated 1,500 roads have been cut off by the flood waters. Orissa and Bihar are already two of the poorest states in India. Now millions of people have lost their homes and their livelihoods. Where once there was dry land there are now free flowing rivers and lakes that will take months to disappear. Over 1,000 relief camps have been established in these two states, housing thousands of adults and children who have been left homeless. But around 600,000 people in Orissa are still said to be stranded and unable to access safety. ret5 Children in India In an emergency, children are always the most vulnerable. Due to the flooding children have been left with no shelter, clean water, food or medical care and we are deeply concerned about the effect that this will have on their health, nutrition, protection and education. We are also deeply concerned about children’s protection. The number of vulnerable children increases during an emergency, as they can become displaced from their homes and separated from their families. At this time they are particularly vulnerable to sexual exploitation and trafficking. Bihar has one of the worst records for child trafficking. During the floods in 2007, 2,500 children were reported to have been trafficked. |
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