UNITED NATIONS DEPLOYS DISASTER TEAM TO BANGLADESH

UNITED NATIONS DEPLOYS DISASTER TEAM TO BANGLADESH

NEW YORK, 30 July (OCHA) -- The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has deployed a UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) team to support Bangladesh’s Government and the UN Disaster Management Team as they respond to the flooding crisis.  The Disaster Management Team has also agreed to launch a flash appeal for funds to ameliorate the situation, a move that has been welcomed by the Government.

The situation remains tenuous.  While flood waters are slowly receding in the north, they are continuing to rise in Dhaka and the central region.  Thus far, over 30 million people have been affected, and close to 2.5 million homes have been partially or fully damaged.  Nearly 6 million affected families are in need of immediate relief.

The Government of Bangladesh has requested assistance from the World Food Programme (WFP) in the form of an Emergency Operation.  What are most needed are dry foodstuffs, as well as high protein biscuits for children.  Presently, dehydration is rampant, and diarrhoea and other water-borne diseases are spreading.  For those reasons, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has given the Government a further 3 million water purification tablets and 2 million packets of oral rehydration salts.

Bangladesh’s army, police, and local security forces have been deployed in some districts to help with distribution and ensure safety.  Also contributing to the relief efforts are governments and aid agencies from around the world, which are allocating badly needed funds.  Both governmental and non-governmental capacities, however, have been hampered by deteriorating roads.

For further information, please call:  Stephanie Bunker, OCHA New York,  tel: (917) 367-5126, mobile: (917) 892-1679; Elena Ponomareva-Piquier, UN Geneva, tel: 022-9172336.

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