During the month of September, major flooding struck the Orissa region in northeast India on two separate occasions. On 9th September, following torrential rainfall, the Hirakud dam was forced to open 59 of its 64 gates, flooding 14 of the 30 districts of Orissa. Less than a week later, on 16 September, the Baitarani, Subarnarekha, Brahmani and Budhabalanga rivers burst their banks, hitting the districts of Jajpur, Kendrapara and Bhadrak particularly hard. Thirty eight people have died in these floods.
Displaced families living by the roadside, India, September 2011
© Handicap International
Handicap International's teams are at the centre of the ongoing humanitarian response, providing assistance to the most vulnerable people. In coordination with other local and international humanitarian organizations present in the field, our team has responded to this crisis by distributing essential items to the local population (shelters, mosquito nets, soap, sheets, blankets, cooking equipment, etc.). Handicap International will be responsible for supporting more than 750 families identified as being particularly vulnerable. Five hundred packs have already been distributed.
| “During the floods of 1982, our village was totally cut off for several days, but this time, the water level was so high that the whole village was flooded, except for the road through the village, which is on a slope. If it had been flooded too, we would have had nowhere to go. It’s worrying.” – Satyananda Swain, an inhabitant of Subala, a small village in Orissa Province, in northeast India, September 2011 |
One hundred and eighty volunteers are also raising awareness of health and hygiene issues among the local population in order to reduce the risk of disease and epidemics in flooded areas. Lastly, 150 community volunteers have been trained in accessibility and inclusion issues affecting the most vulnerable individuals.
Handicap International has been working in the Orissa region since 2009 through its risk prevention projects. These projects aim to reduce the impact of natural disasters on the local population by taking into account the most vulnerable individuals, including people with disabilities.
“The importance of Handicap International's previous work is now obvious,” explains Handicap International's India Desk Officer, Bindya Vachhani. “Raising the awareness of other NGOs and the government has significantly improved the case-management of people with disabilities. We ensured (that) local communities were fully involved in identifying vulnerable individuals, enabling us to work hand in hand with inhabitants affected by the disaster.
In a situation like this, the capacity to obtain information from the population quickly, and the possibility of coordinating our operations with the government's actions is essential. Orissa is a poor region that is regularly hit by flooding. If we want to develop a sustainable solution to this problem, it is essential to develop effective response mechanisms involving the local population as much as possible.”
Handicap International has been working in this region of India since 2009, running disaster risk reduction projects. The aim is to reduce the impact of natural disasters on the local population and take the needs of disabled and vulnerable people into account in disaster planning.
We have extensive experience of supporting disabled and vulnerable people in natural disasters involving flooding. We have previously launched several emergency responses to floods, including those in Bihar, India in November 2008, and more recently in Pakistan in 2010.
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