UNICEF UK is raising awareness for the people of India and Nepal, who have been hit by their worst floods in 50 years. Problems began after the Kosi River broke a dam in Nepal and breached mud embankments in Bihar, causing over a 1,000 villages to been affected.
The official death toll is now up to 55 people, with more than 70,000 people being displaced in Nepal. The floods have caused extensive damage and disruption to roads, with essential commodities now being transported by boat. The heat, combined with a lack of safe drinking water poses the risk of disease, with cases of fever and diarrhoea already reported.
UNICEF UK staff have been working with local authorities to provide tarpaulin sheets, jerry cans, hygiene kits and water purification tablets to the families hardest hit by the floods. The displaced families will not be able to return to their homes for another couple of months until the embankment is repaired and are in desperate need of shelter.
