South Asia floods 2007
Some of the largest floods ever hit parts of India, Bangladesh and Nepal over the summer of 2007.
One year on
A year after floods devastated large areas of India, Nepal and Bangladesh, communities have been rebuilding their homes and livelihoods, and preparing for another monsoon season.
With the help of Oxfam, they are now better prepared for the future.
Audio slideshow: Voices from Orissa
The cash-for-work programme has been really very good. It has helped me a lot. Quite simply, without it, I wouldn't have been able to rebuild my house and would have struggled to get two meals a day. But with the money I received, I was able to have my house repaired and eat three meals a day.
Ramamani Rout, beneficiary of Oxfam's cash-for-work programme in Orissa, India
Learn more
Oxfam's emergency response to the South Asia floods was supported by generous public donations (our S.Asia floods appeal raised more than £2 million for the programme, and we have also benefited from significant funds raised by Oxfam affiliates in other countries), Humanitarian Aid Department of the European Commission (ECHO), UK Government Department for International Development (DFID), Hong Kong Government's Disaster Response Fund (DRF), Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID), UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) through the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), States of Jersey, Vodafone Group Foundation, and Isle of Man.
The worst floods in years
Heavy rainfall and flash floods devastated parts of India, Nepal and Bangladesh in July and August 2007. Renewed flooding in parts of India and Bangladesh a few months later brought the total number of people affected by the disaster in South Asia to over 60 million.
Oxfam responded immediately to the onset of the floods by providing essential water and sanitation, vital relief items, and shelter kits.
As the immediate needs of the flood victims were reached, and as the water subsided, we had the challenge of supporting people to re-build their livelihoods and homes. Communities were at risk of a further crisis as they struggled to find food and an income due to the extensive damage to crops and agricultural land.
Being prepared
The Ganges-Brahmaputra River Basin is over 1,000 kilometres wide and crosses the borders of north-east India, Nepal and Bangladesh.
Oxfam’s River Basin Programme helps communities prepare for floods, and so reduce their vulnerability to disaster.
Oxfam in action: Raising homes, raising hopes
In pictures: preparing for the floods
On the ground
Oxfam responded immediately to the onset of the floods by providing essential water and sanitation for the affected communities, vital relief items, and shelter kits. We also trained local volunteers on carrying out vigorous hygiene awareness campaigns in their communities; provided soap, water storage buckets; and constructed new latrines.
As communities moved towards a recovery phase, we provided assistance by providing seeds, tools and other support so that they could grow crops for food and to sell. We also ran cash-for-work programmes providing people with employment whilst they helped with the recovery work. Local people helped build roads, repair buildings and also prepare for future floods by raising buildings and constructing embankments. With the money they earned they were able to repair their own homes, and fully recover from the effects of the floods.
Learn more about our work in each country:
India
Oxfam’s recovery programme in India, based in Bihar, Orissa, and Assam, has helped more than 5,000 families across 33 villages. Our work has been focused around agricultural support, cash-for-work schemes and also water and sanitation work.
Audio slideshow: Voices from Orissa
Because a substantial amount of crop was damaged in these regions we ensured that families had enough food through supporting 7,500 vulnerable farmers by providing seeds, fertiliser, tools and technical support during the winter months. We also ran a cash-for-work programme which enabled people to earn a living whist helping their communities prepare for future floods.
For example in Gadasibaliyapal villagers have built a 2.5 km embankment along one of the major tributaries, which was flooded last year. This not only protects the village from future floods but also enabled people to gain an income, which allowed them to reconstruct their homes.
Bangladesh
Seeds including vegetables, cash crops and food grains have been provided to 8,000 small-scale farmers for cultivation. Alongside the seed distribution cash grants were provided to purchase necessary items such as fertiliser and agricultural tools.
A cash-for-work programme benefited 10,000 people across seven districts who had lost their income following the floods. Local people worked on repairing roads, flood shelters, and others carried out community work.
Employment through the programme created an income for many people enabling them to buy necessities such as food and also allowed people to begin to pay off debt and recover and restart the local economy. The programme also supported people to work on rebuilding and raising their homesteads, as well as other community structures such as schools and bridges in preparation for future flooding.
Nepal
Oxfam has ensured that all the organisations we work with have clear plans for future disasters before the monsoon season this year.
We have established Disaster Management Committees to prepare responses in each community. We have also co-ordinated and planned responses with other agencies in Nepal.
This was organised through the establishment of the National Pre-Monsoon Workshop held earlier this year, which provided a forum for government and non-government agencies working in disaster preparedness and response, civil society and the media to jointly discuss and agree on efficient processes in response to future flooding.
Update: August 2008
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