In South Asia, the monsoon generally occurs in June, but it came in March this year. North-eastern India and north-eastern Bangladesh experienced the most severe floods, seriously affecting the people in both countries.
As of 16 July, 195 people had died, and 37 had gone missing in north-eastern India. There were approximately 900,000 people affected. According to the UN’s report on 15 July, 18,000 homes were destroyed, and over 120,000 were partially damaged, causing 90,000 people to stay in shelters. Hygiene became an issue to local people that they lacked toilets and clean water, not even a place to lay their heads on. Farms were still under floodwater and could only be farmed when the water receded, leaving the farmers with severe food and livelihood issues.
As reported by the UN on 16 July, 7 million people were affected in north-eastern Bangladesh, half of whom were children. Many homes were destroyed, and around 20,000 people took refuge in shelters. As the flood damaged some shelters which needed repairments, elementary school campuses were used as temporary shelters. Local people were also facing hygiene problems. The Department of Public Health Engineering of Bangladesh estimated that 106,727 water points and 283,355 sanitation facilities were ruined.
It is still a long road to restoring both India and Bangladesh. After the flood, it is reported that Indian residents are threatened by Japanese encephalitis (stagnant water favours mosquitos breeding and hence the transmission of the disease). As of 18 July, 27 people died from the disease. Water-borne diseases, such as diarrhoea and skin and respiratory diseases, also emerge in Bangladesh, with over 10,000 cases by 13 July.
CEDAR Fund decided to support partners in these two countries by funding HK$170,000 to help 2,500 people in Assam of India and HK$117,000 to help 4,500 people in Moulovibazar of Bangladesh. Hopefully, this can provide food and hygiene items for victims in poverty to reduce the risk of getting the disease.
Project details
India
- Food delivered: Rice, beans, salt, spices, oil, supplements for pregnant women and infants
- Non-food items delivered: bucket and jug, mosquito net, waterproof fabrics, hygiene items
Bangladesh
- Food delivered: Rice, beans, salt
- Hygiene items: Soap, sanitary napkins, water purification tablets, oral rehydration saline
Banner Photo: The Guardian
Donation Method
(Please specify: Flood relief in India and Bangladesh)
After donation, please send a completed Donation Form, enclosing with cheque, bank-in slip or screenshot of successful payment along with your name, contact phone number and mailing address to us via mail, email or WhatsApp.
Address: CEDAR Fund, G.P.O. Box 3212, Hong Kong
Email: sharing@cedarfund.org
WhatsApp (for donation matters only): 5160 7549
- CEDAR is an approved charitable institution and trust of a public character under section 88 of the Inland Revenue Ordinance. Please visit Inland Revenue Department website for details.
- CEDAR Fund will issue a receipt for a donation of HK$100 or above for tax deduction. For a donation of less than HK$100, please get in touch with us to issue a receipt.
- Please DO NOT fax any donation information.
If the donation exceeds the above mentioned allocation of funds, the excess amount will be transferred to CEDAR’s ‘Emergency Relief and Disaster Preparedness Fund’. The fund will enable us to respond to immediate needs, and support disaster mitigation in poor nations always being hit by disasters to reduce the amount of devastation.