Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh Floods
OCTOBER 5, 2009
ALERT: 30/2009 - October 5, 2009
Brief description of the Emergency:
Since 2 October 2009 the retreating south-west monsoons have brought continuous heavy rainfall in the states of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh in southern India. This has taken a heavy toll on human life and also caused considerable damage to property. Vast areas are totally submerged, cutting road and rail links, damaging houses and property and destroying crops.
The Krishna river and its two major tributaries in Adhra Pradesh, Tungabhadra and Handri, have risen to a level not seen in 100 years, inundating some 100 villages in Kurnool and Mahabubnagar districts. The central water commission has forecast that the unprecedented high level of the Srisailam river in the next few days will pose a threat to all the areas next to the river not only in Kurnool and Mahabubnagar districts but Nalgonda, Guntur and Krishna districts too.
Impact:
The death toll due to the floods has reached more than 200 people in Karnataka and Andhra since Wednesday 30 September. At least 167 people have died in Karnataka alone (the worst hit of the two states), where several rivers burst their embankments and swept away houses displacing more than 300,000 people. In the neighbouring state of Andhra Pradesh at least 33 people have died and more than 1.8 million people have been affected by the floods according to official reports. The trading and cotton-growing border town of Kurnool is the worst affected, where 15 people have died in the past two days and thousands are affected. As the death toll rises, officials are struggling to cope with the grim situation and bring the stranded to 30 relief camps that have been set up.
National and International Response:
The army and air force are using boats and helicopters to rescue thousands of people who are marooned. The Indian Air Force has mounted a major relief and rescue operation dropping 750 kg of relief materials, mainly food and water packages, in flood hit areas where people remained cut off after roads were submerged or washed away.
On Sunday 4 October 2009 the Central Government rushed more than 694 specially trained National Disaster Relief Force personnel with 80 inflatable boats to Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.
ACT International response:
Planned Activities:
ACT member Church’s Auxiliary for Social Action (CASA) has already started a feeding programme in the flood affected areas through their partners in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. CASA staff are currently in the area carrying out an assessment of the situation. A preliminary appeal requesting funds for cooked food, basic household articles, dry rations and plastic sheeting will be issued shortly. CASA is pre-financing this response.
ACT member, the Lutheran World Service, India (LWSI) is communicating with implementing partners in the area to get details of the damage caused by the floods.
ACT member, United Evangelical Lutheran Church in India (UELCI) plans to respond to the floods in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh by providing emergency relief food and non food items through its church members. UELCI member’s staff are currently assessing the flood situation and plan to send a Preliminary Appeal proposal within the next few days.
All three ACT members are co-ordinating and keeping each other updated on their plans of action.
