New homes at last for Karwar flood victims in India

(September 25, 2010) Karwar diocese in Karnataka, India has given 195 new houses to those made homeless by floods in 2009. Margaret Alva, a Catholic leader and Governor of Uttarakhand, who hails from the state, gave the keys of the houses to once-homeless families during an event on September 19. Bishop Derek Fernandes of Karwar told ucanews.com that when he visited the flood-hit villages last year, he promised to build at least 100 houses. “I am glad that we have been able to construct 195 houses within a span of eight months with help from donors,” he said. Most beneficiaries of the scheme are Hindus, noted Father Lawrence Fernandes, who directs the diocesan social development department. Of the 195 houses, only 22 houses are allotted to Catholics, the priest said. Social service agencies such as Caritas India, KROSS and Habitat for Humanity India have helped to build the houses, he added. The diocesan officials said 376 houses were washed away in their diocese. Floods and torrential rains last year claimed more than 200 lives and displaced nearly 750,000 people in the southern states of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.