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Caritas helps flood-affected villages in northeastern India

Free medical camps established, hygiene kits distributed
Caritas helps flood-affected villages in northeastern India

Flood-affected villagers receive supplies from Caritas India in Lakhimpur district of Assam June 17. (Photo supplied)

Published: June 20, 2017 05:29 AM GMT
Updated: June 20, 2017 05:29 AM GMT

Caritas is supporting flood-hit villages in India's northeast as heavy rains and landslides affect more than 70,000 people.

In response to the situation, Caritas India has rushed support to 12 villages in Lakhimpur district in the state of Assam. There, they organized free medical camps and distributed "hygiene kits" that include antibacterial soap, shampoo, toothpaste, to about 1,000 flood-affected families.

"We are also planning to distribute mosquito nets to the affected families," Thangsha Sebastian, state officer for northeastern unit of Caritas India, told ucanews.com.

Sebastian said that in many places there is still a foot of stagnant water in village houses.

"The situation is very unpredictable as the rivers are flowing above the danger mark and another spell of rain can increase the floods and worsen the situation even more," he said.

 

 

Caritas have organized free medical camps to help those hit by floods in Lakhimpur district of Assam. (Photo supplied)

 

The government says that 22 people have died due to landslides, drowning or electrocution caused by the continued rains and flooding in Assam and neighboring Meghalaya since last week.

Five districts of Assam — Darrang, Lakhimpur, Sonitpur, Udalgiri and Biswanath — have been severely affected by the floods. Nearly 4,000 people are reported to have been displaced in the state in the past 24 hours.

Meanwhile, the district administrations in Assam have expressed concern over the situation as Brahmaputra, Dhansiri and Jia Bhoroli rivers have swollen to dangerous levels.

Posts of the Border Security Force in Meghalaya have also been affected by heavy rains. The Indo-Bangladesh border fence was also damaged and got submerged in many low-lying areas of the state.

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