NEPAL: Red Cross says water levels are hampering flood relief efforts in Nepal

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is having difficulty distributing aid to flood victims in Nepal as water levels continue to rise. The International Committee of the Red Cross said on Friday (August 17) that its flood relief efforts in Nepal was running into several obstacles, including further rains. "The situation is not good. Already it has been one month since people have been suffering from the early days. We already started one month ago and now again, as you see, the rains have come again," said Mary Werntz, head of the ICRC delegation in Kathmandu. Monsoon flood waters have killed hundreds in Asia, affecting some 30 million people in India, Bangladesh and Nepal. After a few days of dry weather, the seemingly-ceaseless rains have returned. In Nepalganj, men crossed waterways with their possessions lifted over their heads. Wild buffalo also made their way through the water with the water levels rising above their necks. "Humanitarian assistance needs to be delivered without obstacles. Our opinion is that assistance should be distributed solely on the basis of need. So, independently from all political and communal and other factors. We are calling for space for humanitarian actors to have unrestricted access," said Werntz. Although it not on their agenda the ICRC says it is supporting the Nepal Red Cross Society on humanitarian grounds, despite difficulties with delays in supplies due to local strikes. "Humanitarian action is hampered by several factors. One is the water levels themselves. Infrastructure, roads have been washed away. This has been a major problem. But also the calling of bans, the strikes and other forms of interference that are taking place at the local level," Werntz said. The floods have destroyed crops and disrupted transport and electricity supplies across Nepal.

ITN Source | August 17, 2007

Tags:. .since. .several. .returned. .problem. .few