Written by Gladwin Bol.
Background:
In the month of July 2013 catchment area of Ganga, Ghaghra and rivers received heavy rainfall, which was about 200% more than the benchmark rainfall during a normal monsoon. This caused heavy floods in Uttar Pradesh . Over 400,000 people had been affected during flood in eastern part of Uttar Pradesh. Major rivers in the sub-Himalayan terrain are said to be threat, villages are marooned and will be continued for next two months as the heavy rainy season is ahead.
The River Ghaghra was flowing above the danger mark in Ballia, while the River Ganga is above the red mark in Gazipur and Ballia and is creating problems for the habitants of villages alongside of embankment. Most of the villages situated in the bank of Ganga have been evacuated and affected families took shelter in the higher elevated land like embankments , rural roads or the national highway. The death toll had risen to 174 caused by rain and flood in this season. Ballia continues to be one of the worst affected districts by the flood. Over 195 villages and hamlets have been affected by the flood since last month and situation of some villages is critical.
Government had taken care of the initial food for these affected families. The need for Non-Food items were the major concern since they had lost entire households. Non-Food items like utensils, cooking stove, tarpaulin, blankets were the necessity for this affected people.
Assessment:
A rapid assessment was undertaken by ADRA India through Its emergency response team (ERT) as soon as the disaster struck with the following activities:
•Area survey and collection of information from the affected communities in the first Rapid Assessment through ERT.
•Interviews were done using a) Key informant Interview (KII) b) Focused Group Discussions (FGDs) c) Case studies d) individuals were directed to affected households with District Magistrates and Tehsil Administration officials of Varanasi, Gazipur and Ballia Districts and representatives of the State AIG and Other state level NGO’s findings .
•A Detailed needs assessment would be carried out by a team on affected 31 villages of Gazipur and Ballia district (In Uttar Pradesh).
•Reports on flood damage from division, district and block administration, as well as sit rep and reports generated by Sphere India, UP IAG and other organizations.
•Analysis and integration of reports from newspapers, CBOs and local NGOs and web.
ADRA India’s Action Plan:
The ADRA team coordinated with the Government administration and the local NGO (Nav Bhartiya Nari Vikas Samiti) about the intervention plan and obtained their support. Our main objective was to provide Non- food items the most affected families. So far distribution was in 5 different Camps in Ballia and Gazipur. As per the requirement ADRA India distributing 1 kerosene stove along with the pack of non-food items containing 2 blankets,1 tarpaulin,5 plates,5 glass,5 katori,1 kadai,1 bowl with lid and 2 serving spoon for each household.
Current Requirement:
ADRA India will continue to see the possible ways to fund and support the communities affected in the Gazipur and Ballia district in Livelihood Response, WASH and Shelter support through the following activities:
•Cash for Work (CFW) for livelihood support •Temporary Shelter support •Rehabilitation and Raising of supply line and other water points •Hygiene Promotion and WASH interventions
