VZCZCXRO9111
RR RUEHBI RUEHCI RUEHCN
DE RUEHCI #0230/01 2141118
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 021118Z AUG 07
FM AMCONSUL KOLKATA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1625
INFO RUEHBI/AMCONSUL MUMBAI 0684
RUEHCG/AMCONSUL CHENNAI 0686
RUEHKT/AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU 0452
RUEHKA/AMEMBASSY DHAKA 0445
RUEHCN/AMCONSUL CHENGDU 0090
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 0121
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 1542
RUEHC/USAID WASHDC
RUEHPH/CDC CDC ATLANTA GA
RHMFIUU/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUEHCI/AMCONSUL KOLKATA 1997

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KOLKATA 000230 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DELHI FOR DAO, USAID 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SENV SOCI EAID PGOV AEMR AMED IN
SUBJECT: FLOODING HITS INDIA'S EAST AND NORTHEAST HARD 
 
REF: KOLKATA 201 
 
¶1. (U) SUMMARY:  Heavy rains since July 25 have flooded large 
areas in Assam, Bihar, Arunachal Pradesh and Tripura.  Almost 
all the districts of Assam are flooded, killing 16 people and 
affecting 1.1 million people.  Water levels in rivers across 
Assam have receded over the past 48 hours.  Assam's Relief 
Commissioner says that conditions are improving and the state 
has not asked for GOI assistance.  In Bihar, however, the 
situation has deteriorated.  Rivers are flowing above the danger 
mark and 24 people have died so far.  The Bihar government has 
sought help from humanitarian agencies and both the Indian Army 
and civil society organizations are helping to provide relief 
and rescue operations.  END SUMMARY. 
 
------- 
Assam 
------- 
 
¶2. (U) Flood waters have inundated large stretches of land in 
Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura and Mizoram - states in 
India's Northeast region.  Assam is the worst affected state, 
with 24 out of a total 27 administrative districts flooded by 
water from the Brahmaputra and other rivers.  Dibrugarh (in 
Upper Assam), Dhemaji and Lakhimpur are three districts that 
have been particularly affected.  While the official death toll 
is 16, other local contacts told Post that about 25 people have 
died. 
 
¶3.  (U) According to assessments made by the Assam government 
and civil society groups, nearly 4,500 hectares of land have 
been inundated and 26,000 hectares of crop fields affected. 
Drinking water sources have been partially affected in most 
areas as well.  People who were stranded have been placed into 
one of 275 relief camps that have been set up.  The Assam 
government is providing food supplies to the camps.  Gaps 
remain, however, in the supply of potable water and there are 
reported problems with sanitation, provision of adequate cover 
and shelter, and storage.  Contacts have reported incidents of 
diarrhea and enteric diseases in the camps but these are 
isolated incidents and not at "outbreak" levels.  Since a large 
number crops and cattle have been destroyed by the flooding, 
resuscitating livelihoods will be a problem down the road. 
 
¶4.  (U) The state government has asked UNICEF for mosquito nets, 
oral rehydration solutions and water purifying tablets.  The 
Inter Agency Group consisting of Catholic Relief Services, 
Action Aid, Oxfam, CASA, and UNICEF, along with their local 
partners, have deployed their resources to complement the Assam 
government's relief and rescue operations.  NGO contacts told 
post that getting relief to the people was a bigger problem than 
supplies.  Washed out roads, bridges and inundated railway 
tracks are seriously impeding movement of relief material. 
 
------ 
Bihar 
------ 
¶5. (U) Although the rains have stopped in Bihar, water traveling 
from upper riparian areas of Nepal has inundated 14 districts 
(out of 38), killing 24 persons so far.  According to officials 
in Bihar's Disaster Management Control Room, 3,152 villages have 
been effectively "marooned." About 550,000 hectares of land is 
submerged and 6.9 million people affected by the flooding.  The 
state political leadership has appealed to all agencies for 
humanitarian assistance.  Bihar's Flood Control Room personnel 
told Post there is an acute shortage of polythene sheets.  The 
Control Room sought Catholic Relief Service's contact 
information from Post which we provided. 
 
¶6. (U) Amid the rescue efforts, Bihar politicians have entered 
the fray with accusations and counter-accusations. After 
surveying Bihar's flood affected areas from his helicopter, 
Indian Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav criticized Bihar Chief 
Minister Nitish Kumar for traveling to Mauritius on a business 
trip during the current crisis. There were local media reports 
about relief being distributed according to each flood victim's 
political affiliation as well. 
 
----------------------------- 
Arunachal Pradesh and Tripura 
----------------------------- 
 
KOLKATA 00000230  002 OF 002 
 
 
¶7. (U) Floor waters have inundated a few districts in Arunachal 
Pradesh and Tripura.  In Arunachal Pradesh - located north of 
Assam - the hardest-hit districts are Lohit, West and East 
Siang, Upper Subansiri and Upper Siang. All the rivers flowing 
through these districts - Siang, Sibo Korong, Lohit, Nao Dehing 
and Kamlang  -- are flowing above the danger level as of August 
¶1.  In Tripura, the overflowing Gomti river submerged parts of 
South and West districts. About 4,300 families were affected and 
a few houses damaged. 
 
¶8. (U) COMMENT:  Every year, the monsoon rains in the upper 
reaches of the Himalayas flow down the Ganga-Brahmaputra-Meghna 
river basin --- flooding large tracts in Assam, Bihar, 
Bangladesh and other states in East and Northeast India.  This 
results in loss of life, property and livelihoods for people 
living in these areas. The lack of  good infrastructure such as 
roads and railways hampers relief and rescue work. While the 
causes and impact of the annual flooding are generally well 
understood, implementing preventative measures and coping 
mechanisms would require the involvement of at least five 
countries to find a regional approach to the problem.  As long 
as such an initiative is not in place, local mitigation efforts 
will continue to be inadequate and temporary. 
JARDINE