United Nations humanitarian agencies continue to bring aid to Bangladesh as heavy rains continue in the aftermath of massive flooding last month, the worst the country had suffered in decades, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said Thursday.
Recent floods cut off many transport routes and utilities, inundated buildings and caused further disruptions to livelihoods, aggravating the impact of the catastrophic monsoonal floods earlier this year, according to OCHA.
In rural areas of the southern regions, where the rain-swollen Gumti and Kakri rivers burst through already weakened protective embankments and flooded 100 villages, there has been considerable damage to fish farms, seedbeds and vegetable cultivation, as well as to valuable rice paddies planted after recession of the recent monsoon floods. Although the heavy rains have relented, severe floods are now occurring in the southwest.
Some 600.000 people have been affected, thousands more have had to take refuge on embankments and in schools, and 10.000 hectares of crops and 700 tons of fish stock have been lost, OCHA said.
The UN World Food Programme (WFP) and the UN Childrens Fund (UNICEF) are coordinating efforts to fight serious malnutrition in the post-flood period. UNICEF will provide children and pregnant and lactating women in the most vulnerable households with fortified food and supplements to counter anaemia, and support a nationwide campaign to provide Vitamin A capsules and de-worming tablets for children.
In complementary efforts, WFP is trying to provide vulnerable families with food items to improve nutrition and food security. Extra rations of fortified blended food will be given to infants and young children as well as pregnant and breastfeeding women.
The agency will also distribute 750 grams of high-energy biscuits daily for over the next 10 months among 80.000 primary school children in the worst flood-affected districts. A total of 903.800 households, or about 4,5 million people, will receive 30 kilograms of grain each per month.
To date, only 62,5 million US dollar of the 210 million dollar sought through a UN appeal for Bangladesh has been received.
Kilde: FNs nyhedstjeneste
