256 救援人员在印度灾区进行救灾工作

      
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256 救援人员在印度灾区进行救灾工作

文章来源：文章作者：发布时间：2005-05-02 字体： [大 | 中 | 小]

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Relief Workers Struggle in Flood Stricken India

Anjana Pasricha

New Delhi

27 Jul 2001 12:33 UTC

The floods are the worst in recent 1)decades, and have claimed more than 80 lives in the devastated coastal region.

Officials in Orissa say swollen rivers have begun to recede, but nearly 15,000 villages are still surrounded by stagnating flood waters. A massive relief operation is underway to reach the tens-of-thousands of people who remain without access to food and clean water.

Soldiers and relief workers are 2)fanning out in districts which had been inaccessible, 3)ferrying food supplies and medicines by boat. 4)Helicopters continue to airdrop relief. But aid workers say damaged roads and a 5)shortage of boats are making it difficult to reach remote areas, despite 6)sufficient supplies of relief material. Heavy 7)monsoon rains triggered the floods two weeks ago, forcing nearly one million people to flee their homes. Thousands have taken refuge in makeshift camps.

So far 18 people have died from waterborne diseases. Orissa's special relief 8)commissioner, H.K. Panda, says authorities are battling to prevent an outbreak of diarrhea and malaria, and also to save the lives of farm animals. "The other focus at this moment is giving people 9)sanitation and pure water, and also vaccination of animals and fodder for the animals. This is what we are focusing on now," says Mr. Panda. "We have stocked enough material. The number of doctors is not adequate, but we are supporting this through 10)paramedics."

There are worries that much of the recently planted 11)paddy crop could be lost. That would be another setback for farmers who had hoped that a good monsoon would allow them to recover from the effects of a 12)drought last year.

Mr. Panda says the state government is trying to 13)salvage the crops. "Restoration of crop - agricultural crop - that is the most challenging task now," he says. "While we can do something on the health front, the way the water is 14)stagnating, how will we be able to revive another round of crops for the farmers, because most of the affected people are farmers, and that of course is a difficult task." The floods are the third major natural disaster to hit Orissa in three years, leaving the state's people and economy particularly 15)vulnerable. A super cyclone in 1999 was followed by a drought last year. Orissa is one of India's poorest states.