South India Flood Response
South India Floods October 2009, Oxfam India responded to the worst flash floods in the history of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.
The challenge was huge:
- Affected population: 2 million plus
- 70% of annual rainfall of the region in 4 days
- 85,000 villages inundated
- Houses damaged 214,764
- 339 deaths (Andhra and Karnataka)
Oxfam responded to this humanitarian crisis immediately by providing relief to 78,000 men women and children through household water treatment support, emergency shelter provision including prototype construction, to the displaced population. We are currently implementing a major water sanitation and hygiene project, along with emergency shelter provision to 78,000 men women and children across the affected districts.
So far, our South India humanitarian response has been to ensure that the affected communities have immediate access to basic needs to safeguard themselves against public health risks and reduce avoidable mortality, in two of the worst affected areas in Andhra and Karnataka districts. In addition the purpose was to provide immediate support to decrease public health risks to 13,000 cyclone-affected households in Kurnool and Bagalkot districts of Andhra and Karnataka through provision of water and sanitation facilities, public health services and emergency shelter by Jan 2009.
Oxfam's water and sanitation team is operational in the two districts and implementing essential emergency sanitation facilities in villages where infrastructure was totally wiped out. This includes construction of temporary latrines and temporary bathing cubicles in the damaged villages. We are also training partner organizations and communities in how to maintain these facilities, and initiated community led public health promotion activities to clear up debris and clean up villages that were overrun with sludge and sewage.
We have already distributed non food items such as hygiene kits to 13,000 households, each containing a) two 18 litres bucket with lids b) two 1.5 L mugs c) four pouches of ORS d) four bars of bathing and detergent soaps and e) Locally made reusable sanitary pad, for rural women and adolescent girls among the affected population.