Brussels, 08/11/2006 (Agence Europe) - On 6 November, the European Commission decided to allocate €4 million in emergency humanitarian aid to vulnerable populations affected by continuous monsoon flooding in India and Bangladesh.
The funds, provided from the budget of ECHO the Commission's Humanitarian Aid Office, will provide the inhabitants of the flooded areas (south-west Bangladesh, and certain regions of western and eastern India) with food, shelter, drinking water supply infrastructure, basic sanitation, aid in recovering means of subsistence and the rehabilitation of damaged housing, as well as medial assistance and hygiene training and the purification of water to prevent disease from breaking out.
The torrential rains of the monsoon season that began in June 2006 in the two countries caused considerable damage: loss of harvests, serious soil erosion, the destruction of cattle, food and tools, and the contamination of surface water, open wells, tubular wells and latrines. In September, there were 500,000 living in shelters and makeshift public buildings in India, and 15,000 were waiting for an emergency solution for shelter.
The Commission aid will be implemented by humanitarian organisations (NGOs, UN agencies, Red Cross), ECHO partners on the ground. (an)