May 11, 2008
The aid between in dribs and drabs in Burma,
The aid between in dribs and drabs in Burma, but lack of potable water and emergency health measures, the toll of Hurricane Nargis could widen up to 1.5 million deaths, warned Sunday the NGO British Oxfam, when a boat carrying basic necessities for survivors was sinking off Bogalay.
As for further complicate the task of relief and humanitarian assistance which is only modestly the Irrawaddy Delta (south), the region most devastated by heavy rains are expected on Burma in the coming weeks.
The two-level boat which sank early Sunday struck a tree trunk, announced the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent, which was the first shipment in the disaster area. Party Rangoon, the largest city in the country, destined for Mawlamyinegyun he had boarded the aid for more than a thousand survivors.
"This is a big loss for the Red Cross in Burma and for people who need help urgently," commented Htut Aung Kyaw, the coordinator of the local Red Cross.
The four crew members were rescued but, as acknowledged by Michael Annear, head of the International Red Cross in Rangoon, this accident brings a "hard blow" to the organization of relief, already criticized for its slow.
"In addition to the delay in the delivery of aid, we now have to reassess how to carry it," he explained, while the Burmese junta continues to filter extreme relief from the abroad.
In this dramatic context, state television announced Sunday that 5,000 additional deaths had been recorded, bringing the official record 28,458 deaths, the number of missing down to 33,416. International NGOs in agreement, that the real balance of the May 3 hurricane could reach 100,000 dead, living conditions are deteriorating every day for the survivors.
More alarming still, the British organization Oxfam warned that if relief did not arrive shortly in the sectors most affected, it should perhaps be increased by 15 stock, bringing the number of deaths 1.5 million and result in a medical disaster.
"It is really crucial that people have access to drinking water and sanitation to prevent deaths and unnecessary suffering," said Sarah Ireland, regional director of Oxfam, to the press in Bangkok.
For now, the junta has prevented most foreign aid workers to come into Burmese territory, claiming to be able to distribute the aid pledged by the international community. Meanwhile, shipments of relief still s'amasser in Rangoon and in several countries, pending the green light from authorities.
The airport in Rangoon, the largest of Burma, can not manage that five flights per day on arrival, while according to estimates by humanitarian NGOs for children PLAN, it would take an hour to allow the delivery of necessary assistance.
"The logistical situation is particularly problematic," noted the British organization in a statement. "In short, they have only one airport congestion, inadequate facilities to cope with an influx of cargo, little fuel and no truck."
Against the backdrop of war visas between NGOs and the Burmese authorities, progress was reported by the United Nations in the arrival of aid. The junta has authorized the delivery to the World Food Programme (WFP) of 38 tonnes of high-energy biscuits confiscated Friday. A gesture described as "very positive" by Marcus Prior, spokesman for the WFP.
Still, many survivors were Sunday unaided for more than a week after fleeing their flooded villages to seek refuge in monasteries and schools. Everywhere floated a terrible smell of death, fueled by the corpses of humans and animals decompose in water, while long waiting lines were formed in the relief camps for a meager ration of rice and 'oil.
by erectusplus at 9:34 AM |
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