Kathmandu, September 11

The United Nation’s Central Emergency Response Fund has announced  new humanitarian funding worth 4.8 million dollars to help address urgent needs of flood affected communities in the Tarai of Nepal.

Saying the CERF is one of the fastest ways that the UN has to support people affected by crises, UN Resident Coordinator Valerie Julliand said, “These funds will allow the Humanitarian Country Team through UN agencies and their partners to quickly scale-up their urgent activities and deliver additional shelter, food, critical health care and more to 700,000 people.”

“This latest disaster has impacted already vulnerable and poor regions of Nepal including areas of the Tarai which were affected by major flooding in 2014. Schools, medical centres and houses have been destroyed and large areas of crops washed away. Immediate assistance is now needed to help people recover and to prevent a further worsening of the humanitarian situation.” Julliand said.

At least 66 persons were killed and 35 were injured in the floods and landslides triggered by torrential rainfall in various parts of the country in August last month.

According to the Ministry of Home Affairs hundreds of families have been displaced after floodwaters gushed into human settlements in most parts of the Tarai region.

Panchthar, Ilam, Jhapa, Morang, Sunsari, Siraha, Rautahat, Mahottari,  Sindhuli, Bara, Parsa, Makawanpur, Chitwan and Lalitpur are some of the most flood-affected districts.