ROME - The World Food Programme
has organized an emergency food-for-work project to help North Korea rapidly
repair dikes destroyed by a tidal wave last mounth during Typhoon Winnie,
WFP said today.
The three-week project is designed to
avert the threat of extensive new flooding in the country, already hard-hit
by devastating floods in 1995 and 1996 as well as by drought this year.
WFP will disstribute 12,750 metric tons of food rations to 370,000 North Koreans repairing 288 kilometres of dikes destroyed two weeks ago along the western coast of north Korea in South and North Pyongan and South Hwanghae provinces.
The food will come from a 100,000-ton US donation to help relieve hunger in the country.
For the first time, US non-governmental organisations will be permitted to monitor distribution, Staff of Care, Mercy Corps, Catholic Relief services, Amigos Internacionales and World Vision are already in the country and will act as monitors.
The rations will benefit more than one million North Koreans because workers with dependents will receive extra rations for their families.
For further information, please contact:
Trevor Rowe, Spokesman, WFP/Rome
Tel. +39 6513-2602