UN to provide help to flood-hit Asian countries
In Bangladesh, people are experiencing the worst and longest monsoon flooding in years.
Highlighting the severe flooding in Asia, including Bangladesh and India, the United Nations on Tuesday expressed its willingness to help.
In Bangladesh, people are experiencing the worst and longest monsoon flooding in years. A quarter of the country is under water, said UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
At least 5.4 million people have been affected, with 11,000 households displaced and 135 people killed, it said, reports Xinhua.
Humanitarian partners are working with Bangladeshi authorities to assist people most in need with food, shelter, clean water, hygiene supplies and other requirements.
A $40 million response plan has been launched to help more than 1 million people most in need in Bangladesh, the OCHA said.
It includes support for children and women who are most at risk during natural disasters and who comprise more than 70 percent of those targeted for assistance, said OCHA.
Flood situation
Data released by the government show that 198 people have so far been killed in flooding – seven of them in the last 24 hours.
A latest report from Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC) in Bangladesh said the flood situation may improve in Natore, Manikganj, Rajbari, Faridpur and low-lying areas adjacent to Dhaka in the next 24 hours.
In India, the southwest monsoon continues to affect most states, with more than 770 people reportedly killed due to heavy rainfall and flooding, said OCHA.
India's National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM) reports that 568,000 people have been evacuated, with more than 210,000 hosted in over 1,000 relief centres.
On Friday, a massive landslide triggered by monsoon rainfall left at least 43 people dead and 27 others missing in Kerala, according to NIDM.
OCHA said the UN stands ready to provide humanitarian support to the most vulnerable and affected communities in India.
