ECHO provides € 9.5 million to South Asia's flood victims

The European Commission has allocated €9.5 million in humanitarian aid to help flood victims in Bangladesh, India and Nepal.

According to the press release by the European Commission's Humanitarian Aid department, ECHO, the assistance are aimed at distribution of food rations and the provision of drinking water, emergency shelter and healthcare, in particular to prevent outbreaks of water-borne diseases.

"The next step is to assist the recovery of livelihoods, damaged housing and water-sanitation facilities. The emergency funds are channelled through ECHO under the responsibility of Louis Michel, the European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid," the release adds.

Commissioner Michel said: "Many Europeans have experienced flooding in recent years and we know how important it is to get rapid assistance in such a terrible situation. Our thoughts are with those who have lost homes, livestock and livelihoods or, even worse, relatives or friends – but not just our thoughts: The European Commission has taken strenuous action to provide humanitarian assistance to the victims. We have immediately dispatched our emergency experts to assess the most urgent basic needs and to liaise with other international relief agencies. On the basis of their assessment, we have decided to allocate €9.5 million in emergency aid."

By early August, over five million households were affected by the floods in India and over one million families in Bangladesh. In Nepal, over 350,000 people have been displaced from their homes. In the three countries damage includes loss of standing crops, serious erosion of farmland and property, destruction of livestock, foods and tools, as well as the contamination of surface water supplies, wells and latrines. nepalnews.com Aug 30 07