OneWorld.net (U.S.)

OneWorld.net's take: A local development worker describes the aftermath of 10 days of flooding in Orissa, India in September, and details his organization's efforts to help some of the millions of people affected by the disaster.

• Helping villagers stay healthy and rebuild their lives after the floods. © Center for Youth and Social Development (CYSD)Massive monsoon rains caused the Mahanadi River and its tributaries to overflow their banks and reservoirs in many places, submerging some 1,850 villages in the worst flooding Orissa had seen in 50 years, reported the BBC. More than 200,000 people were evacuated to relief camps, road links were destroyed, and the Indian army was deployed to airdrop aid to stranded people.

• Just to the north, in Bihar state, local and international emergency relief groups have been responding with food, medical assistance, shelter, and other necessities since the Koshi River -- the largest in Nepal, situated along the India-Nepal border -- overflowed on Aug. 18. Among these was the U.S.-based anti-poverty organization ActionAid, which reported a two-week delay in reaching survivors in Bihar due to unmanageably high water levels. Hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to abandon their homes in India and Nepal, says the humanitarian news site IRIN.

• While safe and reliable access to basic necessities such as clean water remains a paramount concern in Bihar, "flood waters have also destroyed crops and killed livestock undermining food security in the region and destroying agricultural livelihoods," writes the disaster relief organization Lutheran World Relief, which is responding to the disaster in conjunction with its partners in the region.

Disaster. Destruction. Devastation.

From: Center for Youth and Social Development (CYSD)

By Subhas Chandra Sahoo, member of the CYSD Disaster Team

Only few a weeks back, there were hoards of people standing at roof tops and at the corners of highways begging for food, polythene, clothes. That emotion was heart-breaking as we all have seen the vastness of the 10 days flood that started on 19th September. Around 4 million people from 19 districts have lost everything -- their houses, food, animals, clothes, everything...Now that the water has started receding they are going back to their villages to re-erect their washed away and dilapidated homes, to stand on their feet again and to get their life back on track. But health problems like fever, cough, cold, dysentery, and diarrhea still pose a significant hurdle on their way. There were neither enough doctors available nor medicines. The needs and the gaps were felt and we immediately rushed to fulfill their needs, experience the feel, lend a hand of help, and listen to their cry.

The following is a first hand account from a CYSD employee who was part of a health camp responding to the needs of flood survivors:

"We started our camp at Delang block on 4th October at Shripurushuttampur at 11:00 am and closed at 4:00 pm. Out of nearly 1,000 villagers, we took care of 292 patients among whom were 61 children, 112 women and 119 men. They suffered mainly from cough and cold, fever, gastric, dysentery, skin infection, and malaria.

"The disaster was caused in part by the bridge breaches at Teishpur of Pipili block that forced the rain water to thrush towards the railway bridge and directly hit the village. The villagers of these affected areas are totally dependant on agriculture, but they are now homeless, with their houses cracked and cultivation affected. The situation is still grim as many of them stay along the roadside canal lining areas and take shelter on a tarpaulin tents. Not less beyond this devastating flood, the cattle was also affected."

The situation of Dhankera GP of Delanga Blaock, Puri stays grimmer. The villagers are still staying around the water boundary. It may take another month to normalize the situation. The villagers use the unhygienic flood water for their daily needs. There are no road communications. Boats are used to move from one place to another.

Health Camps: Three health camps were conducted on the same day at Dhankera, Basantpada, and Arda of Dhankera Gram Panchayat of Delanga. There are nearly 1,000 people in that village out of which we treated 439 patients for cough & cold, fever, gastric, dysentery, skin infection, and malaria among whom 111 were children, 163 men and 165 women. The cultivation of these areas are totally affected by flood, even the lands are marooned.

For more information on how you can support CYSD's relief and community development efforts in Orissa, India, visit the organization's Web site.

© Center for Youth and Social Development (CYSD)