EMERGENCY RESPONSE IN MAHARASHTRA, KARNATAKA AND KERALA

Incessant rainfalls in various parts of the country have caused devastating floods across the states of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat, Kerala, Odisha and West Bengal.

Of the six flood-affected states, Maharashtra, Karnataka are the worst-hit and have been put in ‘red alert’ zones by the central government’s National Emergency Response Centre. The other four have been put in ‘orange alert’ zone.

In Karnataka, 40 people have been killed and more than 3 lakh people are staying in 1,168 relief camps. Over 2,000 villages have been affected and 4.2 lakh hectares of agriculture and crop loss have been reported.

In Maharashtra, nearly 5 lakh people have been evacuated by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) as per the latest report. A total of 22 districts in Maharashtra have been severely affected. Many incidents of structural collapse, submergence of state and national highways was reported across affected districts. Nine people (including a woman and three children) died in Sangli district as a boat carrying about 30 capsized during rescue operations. Infrastructure has taken a hit, many ICDS centres, schools and the water supply have been affected.

In Kerala, the death toll has risen to 88 and over 2.5 lakhs have been affected by the floods and are now staying in 1,639 relief camps. The authorities have been put on high alert. Kannur, Kasaragod and Wayanad districts have been most affected. Kerala was hit by devastating floods last year too, and nearly 500 people lost their lives.

ActionAid with its local allies is reaching out to the flood-affected families in the worst-hit districts in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Kerala. In Maharashtra, the worst affected areas include are Sangli and Sangola. In Karnataka, the worst-hit districts are Belagavi, Vijayapura, Bagalkot, Yadagiri, Raichur, Uttara Kannada, Udupi, Dakshina Kannada, Kodagu, Chikkamagaluru, Hassan, Haveri and Shivamogga. In Kerala, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Malappuram and Idukki are worst hit. Our volunteers are collecting relief materials to be distributed in villages that are fully submerged. We are also conducting needs assessment in many districts across these states.

ActionAid plans to provide immediate relief in the affected families in the form of food, safe drinking water, clothing, hygiene kits, temporary shelters, mosquito nets, fodder and sheds for livestock. Our relief efforts are aimed at providing the immediate needs of the affected population while planning for restoration and rehabilitation of homes, infrastructure and livelihoods.

Our efforts do not stop at relief and rehabilitation of affected communities. ActionAid interventions during emergency responses are aimed at building the capacity of affected communities to become more disaster resilient and are able to take countermeasures to mitigate risks and loss of lives. We work closely with state and government authorities to facilitate disaster response training and to help spread awareness among communities on what steps to take during emergencies.