UN Approves Emergency Aid for Victims of Bangladesh Flooding

The United Nations has allocated 5 million U.S. dollars in emergency aid for victims of last month's flash flooding in Bangladesh, UN humanitarians said on Tuesday.

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Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths approved the UN Central Emergency Response Fund disbursement, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said.

Flash floods in northeast Bangladesh on June 15 swept away homes and inundated farmlands of more than 7 million people, displacing almost 500,000 families, the office said. Access to drinking water and sanitation facilities was affected and 90 percent of health facilities flooded.

"The United Nations is supporting the government's response by delivering food assistance, drinking water, cash, emergency drugs, water purification tablets, dignity and hygiene kits to the affected families and education support," OCHA said.

The office said the UN Children's Fund provided aid, including water, nutrition and protection services, to nearly 1 million people and the World Food Programme distributed 85 tons of fortified biscuits to 34,000 households. The World Health Organization provided 250,000 water purification tablets, and the UN Population Fund helped pregnant women to access hospitals and positioned midwives to provide emergency obstetric support.