Bonn, 06.08.2007 Deutsche Welthungerhilfe (German Agro Action) has released 100,000 euros to help the victims of the heavy floods in South Asia. In the course of the next few days, food items such as rice, lentils and oil, as well as plastic sheets, soap and cooking utensils, will be distributed in Nepal, India and Bangladesh. Around 50,000 people will thereby receive urgently called for help in the flooded regions.
Unusually heavy rainfall during the monsoon season in South Asia has caused a number of large rivers to swamp their embankments. According to information provided by the UN, almost 20 million people in Nepal, India and Bangladesh have been made homeless. Entire districts now lie under water. Thousands of homes and huge tracts of agricultural land have been destroyed.
Welthungerhilfe is carrying out emergency aid together with its long-term partner organisations in the region. This organisations have already been active over the past week, providing relief supplies to people where they have sought refuge from the floods. In many cases, this is a matter of pre-prepared food rations since there are no cooking facilities available. In addition, Welthungerhilfe will be coordinating its relief programme with its European partners within the Alliance 2015 in order to maximise efficiency.
Our Regional Director, Dr. Bernhard Hoeper, is available for interviews in India.
For further information see www.welthungerhilfe.de