Health

Worst flood in South East Asia for 30 years
by Corina Ciubotaru

The monsoon season this year made hundreds of victims in India, Nepal and Bangladesh. Many more were left marooned, waiting for rescuers to bring boats and take them to safety and firm ground. Among them, millions of children, as they make up 40% of South Asia's population; they are also the worst hit by this tragedy because the water carries diseases like cholera and diarrhea, possibly lethal for young children. UNICEF is doing its best to help them along with other international institutions working together to alleviate the dramatic situation, as this is the worst flood to hit South Asia in the last 30 years. Wells have been infected if not completely covered by water, so efforts are being made to get fresh water to the people stranded on rooftops, elevated highways and railways and other tall places. Aids are difficult to transport to the region because the roads aren't accessible anymore. In India alone, more than 20 million people have been affected by the flood, mainly in the regions of Assam, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Half of Nepal is under water, but rains stopped a few days ago, so the worst has probably passed, and with a bit of help from local authorities and international organizations, the people will be able to get on with their lives soon. It's admirable the way people can come together in the face of adversity and help those in need. The countries affected by these floods are poor and surely they would have had an even harder time recovering if they hadn't received any outside help.

related story: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070807/ap_on_re_as/south_asia_monsoon_floods;_ylt=AlM4J9d6cVjk31OWyaQPzTus0NUE

by Corina Ciubotaru for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

PocketNews is a new real-time news broadcaster delivering the latest and hottest news right to your pocket ! With global clients who want to be kept up to date, PocketNews is everyone's way of keeping in touch with the World.

posted by Blog TechSource @ 1:07 PM