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India/Nepal: Flash Floods – Information bulletin no 1
- This bulletin is being issued for information only, and reflects the current situation and details available at this time. The Indian Red Cross Society and Nepal Red Cross Society, with the support of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), have determined that external assistance is not required, and are therefore not seeking funding or other assistance from donors at this time.*
Due to heavy monsoon rains, flash floods have affected tens of thousands of people in Uttarakhand region, in the northern part of India. The floods have severely affected the Char Dham pilgrimage sites of Badirnath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri, which have been the most impacted. According to Rueters,150 people have died in Uttarakhand, which was the worst hit state. Some 78,000 people have been left stranded and hundreds have lost their homes. The death toll may increase as the affected regions are presently cut off and the means of communication are not working. The state home secretary have said there is a potential for the death toll to go higher as the process of recovering bodies has not yet started in many places that are inaccessible.
Both the government and Red Cross volunteers have geared up the relief efforts in the impacted flood areas. Following an aerial survey of the flood-hit region, the prime minister announced an INR 10 billion (approximately CHF 148,539,000) aid package for Uttarakhand. Red Cross-trained first medical responders and volunteers have initiated family news service (FNS) and tracing services for people stranded in their regions.
In Nepal, heavy floods and landslides triggered by incessant rain since 15 June caused serious damage in the western, mid-western and the far western regions of the country. To date, the disaster has displaced 231 families (1,155 people) and affecting 837 families (4,175 people). A total of 25 people have died, four injured and 11 missing.
In India and Nepal, people have reported that no milk, vegetables and other commodities are available in the affected region. It has been reported that rain water is being collected by people for drinking purposes as there have been no portable water available for drinking purposes. Meteorologists predict more rain for both the northern Indian states and the western, mid-western and far western regions of Nepal in the coming days.