Caritas: Situation Worsening in Flooded India

(September 4, 2008) The situation faced by flood victims in India threatens to rapidly deteriorate as more evacuations are needed, Caritas reported. In a statement today, the international aid organization said it was appealing for more than $5 million to help survivors of the catastrophic flooding that began when the Kosi River broke its banks on Aug. 18. Over 2,500,000 people in the state of Bihar have had to flee the rising flood waters, but between 60,000 to 80,000 people remain trapped. Caritas Internationalis, the umbrella organization for 162 national charities, plans to provide food for 270,000 people with a one-month dry food ration per family, basic temporary shelter materials, and essential household items. Caritas will also provide basic health and promote hygiene to affected families and communities through professionally qualified medical and other staff. Caritas India's Executive Director Father Varghese Mattamana said: "There are high chances of the situation deteriorating at a fast pace. People are taking refuge either on rooftops or on trees and these temporary arrangements have also proven to be fatal. We need to see a quick evacuation of people still in danger. "The current inundation is so massive that it has totally altered the habitation pattern of decades, if not centuries, with the flood waters surging through relatively safe villages, farmlands, fields, buildings and other infrastructure."