India: Floods - Jul 1997

The DHA/UNDP Resident Representative reports on damage caused by heavy rains in the State of Gujarat. According to the latest official reports, 111 people have been killed by floods. Some 200,000 houses have been damaged. The extent of loss of crops and cattle is being assessed. The floods have affected the Districts of Mehsana, Gandhi Nagar, Ahmedabad, Kheda, Sabarkanda, Vadodra, Banaskanda and Surender Nagar in the State of Gujarat. Communication links, including roads and railways, have been badly affected. Most of the villages are cut off and army helicopters have been dropping food packets for isolated people. (UN DHA, 2 Jul 1997)

Incessant and torrential monsoon rains, beginning in late July, have inundated large areas of Midnapore district in West Bengal, India. An estimated 16,000 houses have collapsed due to the flooding caused by the heavy rains and approximately 100,000 people are homeless. In addition, drinking water sources, roads, embankments, infrastructure and croplands have been extensively damaged or destroyed. There are immediate and acute needs of vulnerable familes for food, temporary shelter, and assistance in rebuilding their homes. (CWS, 3 Sep 1997)