SUMMARY

Written by: AlertNet correspondent

By Nilanjana Bhowmick

NEW DELHI (AlertNet) - When cyclone Aila hit the coastal village where Naseema lived in May last year, salt water invaded the paddy fields and fisheries, taking away her husband's work as a day labourer.

Her children contracted skin infections and severe diarrhoea after using water from a contaminated tube well in the village. Having lost their meagre income of around $1 a day, the family had no choice but to leave their home of many years.

They moved from Simulhati in the Indian

The South Asia region is home to half of the world's population and is a region of great socio-economic contrasts as well as cultural and political diversity. The region includes Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, and remains one of the most disadvantaged regions of the world. Situated on the most seismic-active crusts on earth, the frequency and magnitude of natural disasters in South Asia is high and continues to increase as a result of rapid and uncontrolled urbanization, deforestation and the effects of climate

In brief

Programme outcome: To increase the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Society (IFRC) capacity to assist National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies reduce the number of deaths, injuries and the impact of disasters through the timely and adequate financial support for disaster response from the DREF.

Programme(s) summary: At 30 June 2010, IFRC had made 73 allocations from the DREF to support 67 different operations for a total of 11,285,280 Swiss francs bringing assistance to over 3.5

"There is global consensus that we are at the beginning of a La Niña, but we cannot pronounce the intensity of the event yet - we have to wait for it to evolve," said Rupa Kumar Kolli, Chief of the World Climate Applications and Services Division at the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

La Niña is characterised by unusually

Background

'Monsoon' refers to the seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation. Monsoon winds blow from cold to warm regions because cold air takes up more space than warm air. Monsoons blow from the land toward the sea in winter and from the sea toward land in the summer.

Source: (www.mrdowling.com/612-monsoon.html)

There are four well-marked seasons in

KARACHI: A huge quantity of recently procured wheat has been damaged during recent rains in many parts of the province, while quality of the grain packed in polymer bags is eroding, causing financial loss to the government.

Heavy rains in the wake of recent cyclone, which hit coastal areas of Badin and Thatta districts, damaged millions of tons of wheat lying in the open.

The estimates of losses projected by the food department are Rs390 million, officials, however, admitted that actual losses may be more.

It is learnt that about six million tons

BHUBANESWAR, India (AlertNet) - India's mineral-rich Orissa State is fast becoming a hub for investment. But experts warn poorly-planned development projects are threatening its mangrove forests, which offer vital protection against the cyclones that regularly batter India's east coast.

"In the climate-constrained world of today, 'development' itself can turn into a threat to life, livelihood and the environment," said Biswajit Mohanty, Orissa's best-known environmentalist and secretary of the Wildlife Society of Orissa.

Pakistan

Cyclone Phet hit south Pakistan on June 6, bringing heavy rains, high winds and severe flooding. Some 250,000 people are affected, and standing water continues to pose health risks. Lack of safe drinking water and insufficient access to food and shelter are also concerns.

CWS is distributing relief supplies for 1,025 families in Dasso and Pattan and is focusing on possible support for rehabilitation needs in Balochistan. CWS is in close contact with our local partners and other agencies responding to the disaster and will continue to respond as necessary.

Kenya