Floods in South Asia and the Asian Brown Cloud
August 6th, 2007 by Anindita Sengupta
Millions of families have been affected by flooding in South Asia. The death toll continues to rise in India, Nepal and Bangladesh and hundreds of thousands have been displaced from their homes because they were submerged or washed away in the floods. The United Nations has described the flood situation in India and Bangladesh as “the worst in living memory”.
Even as the flood waters have started receding, the people here have to battle other dangers like disease and starvation. People are suffering from lack of food and shortage of medical supplies. Save the Children is trying to raise money for relief work and has made an appeal for donations. Click here to access the online donation form.
Across the region more than 20 million people have been affected - 6.9 million in Bangladesh, 13.7 million in India and hundreds of thousands more in Nepal, according to this report in the Guardian. Experts say that the excessive rains are a direct cause of climate change and that things will only get worse in the coming years. The problem was exacerbated by the collapse of dams and embankments.
Officials have said that aid efforts are insufficient so far. According to the BBC, governments in India and Bangladesh are trying to deliver supplies, but many areas cannot even be reached by boat, so air drops are the only way. Given that there is ample warning of the same situation recurring next year, governments should start developing better coping mechanisms in advance. There has been little talk about that in the media, however.
Meanwhile, there is more bad news. According to a study, the Asian Brown Cloud, a vast toxic blanket of smoke from factories, power plants and wood or dung fires that hangs over South Asia, is causing Himalayan glaciers to melt. While there is a way to tackle the problem–Asian countries need to to find alternatives to fuels such as coal, diesel, wood and dung–there is little evidence that steps will be taken towards this anytime soon. More on the Asian Brown Cloud here.
Update: According to the UN, more than 15 million people in India, Nepal and Bangladesh are facing a “health crisis” if food and medical aid to south Asia’s flood victims is not rapidly stepped up. And here is the news in pictures.
Further Update: The Rockefeller Foundation says it will invest $70 million over the next five years to help Asian cities and African farmers withstand floods, droughts and other global warming hazards.