Flash rains in the desert cause havoc in Rajasthan
Rajasthan, India 28th August: The Thar desert of Rajasthan has been hit with flash floods following 100 hours of freak rains. In the worst affected districts – Barmer - over 300 people are believed to have died, and more than 1,000 men, women and children are marooned on sand dunes surrounded by 15 to 25 feet of water. Over 800,000 of the 2 million population are reported to have been made homeless. Many have lost all their assets and need immediate support in terms of clothing's, blankets, shelter, clean drinking water, food, medical support, counseling support etc. In support of government efforts UNICEF is working with the worst affected population in 65 villages with a population of 50 000 (10,000 children below 5 years of age). The immediate need is to ensure children have safe drinking water and therefore UNICEF is supplying:
All schools have been closed down leaving 400 000 children without education for the last 10 days. School buildings are being inspected to assess their level of safety before children can return. Commenting on the situation Ann Hasslebalch Deputy Director of Operations for UNICEF India said: “The immediate need is to ensure children get clean drinking water and avoid any diseases. Our teams are working night and day to ensure those vital supplies reach the communities as soon as possible. At the same time we are keen that these children return to school and the disruption to their education is kept to the minimum ” Since the water is trapped between high sand dunes, and there is an underlying sub-soil layer of gypsum in the region, it is suspected that water will not drain easily and the water could be standing for six to eight weeks possibly creating a serious public health problem. The loss of cattle population is estimated to be about 75000 in numbers, giving rise to fears of disease outbreaks.
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