Oxfam responds as 43 million hit by South Asia Floods

Some 1,200 people have died and 43 million people have been hit by the monsoon rains and heavy flooding in the South Asian nations of Bangladesh, India, and Nepal so far. Families have lost their homes and crops, and the number of casualties is likely to increase over the coming days.

Oxfam is providing more than 186,000 affected people with clean drinking water, food supplies, emergency shelter, hygiene kits, and other essentials. As the crisis continues, we will work to support more people and help them recover.

While some flooding is normal with monsoonal rainfall, for most of the affected communities this level of flooding is unusual and unheard of. Oxfam staff in Bangladesh are reporting that two thirds of the country is under water, and in some areas the flooding is the worst since 1988.

Oxfam is working with flood-affected communities and local partners.

“We have been building the capacity of people to cope with and recover from disaster, and to prevent these crises in future. This will only be possible if international agencies work with local people and put them the center of the response,” said Paolo Lubrano, Regional Humanitarian Manager for Asia.