Both the states of Rajasthan and Gujarat have received the highest rainfall in a century, resulting in the flooding of 4 districts in Rajasthan and 8 in Gujarat. The affected districts in both states are adjoined. Heavy rains in Jalor, Pali and Sirohi district of Rajasthan is the major cause of floods in Banaskantha district of Gujarat, as they share a border. Heavy rains and overflowing of Sipudam and Dantiwada dam has increased the water level in Banas river which flows from Banaskantha. Due to this, the Dhanera block of Banaskantha was the worst affected block in the district. Rajasthan Jalore, Sirohi, Pali and Barmer are the worst affected districts of Rajasthan. Within these areas, 25 blocks and 290 villages are affected, or 1,25,000 people.  10,000 houses are damaged resulting in 50,000 homeless people, as well as 47 deaths, 640 rescues and 225 evacuated. More than 5700 cattle have been reported dead. 90 dams are full. Gujarat The damage in Gujarat is extensive. According to the Gujarat State Disaster Management Authority, 142 people have been died due to the floods in the State (50 people in Banaskantha district only). Electricity was impacted in 753 villages, 200 of which are still without electricity. A total of 945 roads including 6 national highways, 31 state highways, 819 panchayat level roads and 90 others are flooded or damaged. There have been reports of 2014 animal deaths. The total number of people affected, aggregated across different sources, are 171119 people affected across 8 districts. Government Response Rescue operations have involved Indian Army troops, Indian Air Force, border security forces  and both National and State Disaster Relief Forces.  There have been a total of  ten IAF helicopters and five Army columns. In addition, 18 BSF teams, 32 teams from the NDRF, 11 teams from the SDRF and local teams were deployed.  More than 117,000 have been evacuated across Gujarat and Rajasthan. Relief camps have been set up in Gujarat. A total 90 relief camps were established by government of Gujarat, who have stated that 20 lakhs food packets were distributed as part of the immediate response. In Rajasthan more than 24 camps have been created, providing the immediate relief and cooked food. As victims return home, they still need food, shelter and livelihood support. Relief package: The Government of India announced an interim relief package of ₹ 500 crore to Gujarat. It is also announced that ex gratia of ₹ 200,000 be given to the next of kin of the deceased and ₹50,000 to people seriously injured in the floods, in addition to a  1500 crore relief package announced by state government of Gujarat. Government of Rajasthan has also announced the relief package to the victims for approximately Rs 500 crores Providing non-food items (NFIs) such as water purification tablets, tarpaulins, candles, mosquito coils, etc. These goods have helped address some of the vulnerabilities faced by flood-affected communities but have been unevenly distributed and insufficient in quantity. The electricity supply was restored in 700 villages and 1500 sanitation workers were Banaskantha and Patan districts to prevent outbreaks. Carcasses have also been disposed. There has been collaboration with other NGOs in needs assessment exercises and solidarity action. Other NGOs worked with include UNICEF, UNFPA, Save The Children and Plan-India. Coordination and collaboration with the district administration as well as the state senior officials coordinating the relief and rehabilitation work for the flood victims. Civil society groups, including the media, have also been mobilised – the media regularly publishes ActionAid’s work. Students from institutions such as Tata Institute have been mobilised and accommodated. ActionAid Response Rajasthan  

District	Block	No of Households supported	Kind of support provided
Sirohi	Reodar	500 HHs	Clothes for women and children, tarpaulin , torch and footwear
	Abu road	171 HHs	Food packets
	Pindwara	130 HHs	Food packets and tarpaulin
Jalor	Sanchore	700 HHs	Cooked food packets
Barmer	Dhorimanna	700 HHs	Food packets
	Gudamalani	800 HHs	Food packets
Total covered 3001 House Holds in Rajasthan
Gujarat Districts Blocks No. of families supported Kind of support
Morbi	Maliya	150HHs	Food packets, clothes and hygiene kit
Ahemdabad	Ahemdabad	200HHs
Banaskantha	Kankrej	500HHs
Total covered 850 households in Gujarat

Further Requirements Despite progress made and fast response by ActionAid, urgent help is still required:  

Shelter	Tarpaulin sheets of standard size for tents/temporary shelter
	Four bamboo poles
	Ropes (2 kilo coil)
	Plastic sheet (5 by 6) for covering wet floors
	Support for reconstruction of permanent houses.
Food Security	Rice (30 kilo), chewda (5 kilo), oil (two liters), 250 each of chilly power, dhaniya, mustard
	Supplementary nutrition for pregnant & lactating women and children
WASH	Halogen tablets for water purification
	Hygiene and first aid kits (Five bathing soaps, ORS, Bandage, cotton, antiseptic lotion and cream, medicine for cough and cold, fever)
	Decontamination of hand pumps & Construction of raised hand pumps
	Bleaching powder
	Water filters
NFIs	Utensils (basic for a family of five)
	Clothing for new born babies and children.
	Two temporary cots/charpoy – (4 kilos of coir rope, 12 bamboo poles – measuring 5 feet each)
	Mosquito nets (two sets), mosquito cream (odomos 100 grms four tubes)
	Bed sheets (three) , plastic mat two (5 by 2 feet)
Livelihood Support	5 – 10 kilos of paddy seeds, kilo of mustard seeds, assorted one kilo of vegetable seeds

 

As per government record, 24 districts are affected due to the current flood. Among these districts Bahraich, Shrawasti, Gonda, Balrampur and Mahrajganj are severely affected. Most of the severely affected districts are situated at Indo-Nepal Border; due to its geographical location. The major reason for floods in these districts is over flowing of water from the major river such as Ghaghra, Sharda, Gandak and Rapti. District Maharajganj is one of the worst affected districts among all. ActionAid conducted a rapid needs assessment from 17-21th August 2017 in the worst affected villages of Maharajganj district. 84,559 people from 262 villages are severely affected, four people have lost their life, and 14442 hectare of land has been washed away in which 12,024 hectare land is agricultural. 586 kachcha houses are partially demolished and 458 huts are completely demolished. Response of the Govt In Uttar Pradesh, the government has started to evacuate affected peoples, and to put them at safer places, 59,262 people have taken shelter in 341 shelters, 109938 people have been evacuated to safer places, 28 NDRF battalion, 29 PAC flood battalion, 3 Air-force team and 286 medical team have been deployed for flood relief and response works, 90 community kitchen have been organized by the government. In addition, 20824 quintal wheat flour, 322 quintal Gud, 26601 quintal Rice, 4767 quintal Pulses, 1889 quintal Salt, 20755 quintal Potato, 230074 packet Match box, 300633 meter Taurpoline, 1644715 lunch packet, 177653 Lai-chana packet, 1377535 Brad and Biscuit, 539503 water packet (pouch), 2665043 chlorine tablet, 198511 ORS Packet, 496541 Kerosene Oil and 364 lakh have been distributed among the flood affected people. ActionAid Response (As of September 15) ActionAid along with partners have designed an emergency response to cater the immediate needs of most vulnerable communities particularly, Dalits, Tribal, Minorities and Women, PwDs, Old Aged and Children.  The needs assessment conducted by ActionAid and Partners and local NGOs reveals that there is huge gap in existing govt response especially in WASH, shelter and NFI and FI distribution and hence there is desperate need of dry ration support, emergency shelter, hygiene items, safe and clean drinking water, Non-food items and food items.

• ActionAid along with Inter Agency Group organized a meeting with the Relief Commissioner cum Principal Secretary Revenue (Mr Rajneesh Dube) and shared the findings of the joint rapid needs assessment and gaps on the ground and what sectors govt should prioritize the relief operation. We requested him to coordinate with the agencies working on the ground and write to all district collectors to organize meetings of various departments in the worst affected districts so that better coordination mechanism and convergence among various departments is established at district level.

• ActionAid and partner (Musahar Seva Sansthan) submitted a memorandum of demands to the District Collector, Sub Division Officer and Tehsildar to provide immediate support to flood affected communities. As a result of this, food grains have been distributed to 750 families of 9 villages in worst affected communities and 2 community kitchens were started with the support of Musahar Manch and PDS owner.

• Chlorination and fogging has been done in all worst affected villages. Chlorine tablets and bleaching power has also been distributed in the all the villages of Maharajagnj district.
• What are the relief requirements?

ActionAid has started relief support to most vulnerable families through internal funds but many of the worst affected areas are still left out. We seek support on the following  

1	Food	Dry ration
2	Shelter	Tarpaulin sheets of standard size for tents/temporary shelter Four bamboo poles Ropes (2 kilo coil) Plastic sheet (5 by 6) for covering wet floors Support for reconstruction of permanent houses.
3	WASH	Hygiene kits, water filter,
4	NFI	Kitchen utensils and mosquito nets
5	Livelihood support	Seeds and livelihood support to most vulnerable families
6	Coordination	Coordination with NGOs and various govt departments

 

Bihar is currently facing some of the most widespread and damaging floods witnessed in India in recent memory. To date there have been hundreds of people killed and 1.40 crore people affected by flooding across 18 districts in the state. Though the Indian Government and NGOs like ActionAid India have been hard at work to assist affected areas, additional support is urgently needed to address the pressing needs of the affected population and help them start along the road to recovery. Villagers move to a safe place from floods in Gopalganj in Bihar on Sep 2, 200) Impact of Floods Floods in Bihar this August have exacted an enormous human cost on the state. Recent assessments suggest that 304 people have been killed so far, though the number of casualties could increase as heavy rainfall and flooding persist. The most affected district in terms of loss of life is Araria, where 57 people have perished, followed by Sitamadhi (31), West Champaran (29), and East Champaran (19). State and national authorities estimate that there have been an additional 721,704 people displaced from their homes as a direct result of flooding.                     

Affected Figures Particulars	Figures
Number of Districts Affected	18
Number of Blocks Affected	171
Number of GPs Affected	1965
Total PopulationAffected	126.87 Lakh
Total Population Displaced	721704 People
Total Deaths	253

  Beyond causing widespread loss of life and displacement, the recent floods have also impacted people in affected areas in a variety of other ways. Thousands of hectares of cropland – which the majority of people in rural Bihar rely on for their economic livelihood – have been inundated. Countless cattle, chickens, and other livestock have perished, further adding to the economic damage. Flooding has also made food supplies and clean drinking water harder to find, and moreover increased the risk of disease in affected districts. These effects have been particularly severe for dalits, women, and other marginalized segments of society. Government’s Response Government actors have played an important role in responding to the crisis by:

• Organizing rescue operations that have involved a total of 1618 personnel from Nation and State Disaster Relief Forces, 620 staff from the Indian Army, and 92 motor boats.
• Constructing relief camps across Bihar which provide temporary shelter for 421,824 affected persons.
• Addressing food insecurity by setting up 2569 community kitchens and providing dry rations by airdrop.

^{Children looking at their home damaged in the floods in Narauli village of Muzzaffarpur district.}   ActionAid’s Intervention Thus Far ActionAid has also been actively working to address the situation in Bihar by:

• Conducting rapid needs assessments in the districts of West Champaran, East Champaran, and Darbhanga to determine the needs and vulnerabilities of communities affected by flooding.
• Supporting rescue operations in East Chamaparan by contributing volunteers and material resources.
• Distributing rations to more than 2500 dalits and members of minority communities in Sitamandhi, West Champaran, and East Champaran
• Disinfecting contaminated water sources in Dhaka block of East Champaran to reduce the risk of disease
• Coordinating with the Disaster Management Department and Inter Agency Group in Bihar to formulate an appropriate and effective overall emergency response

 ^{Immediate relief being provided to hundreds of affected families in East & West Champaran and Satamadi districts}   What are the relief requirements? Though existing relief efforts have helped to address some of the needs of flood-affected communities in Bihar, additional assistance in a variety of areas is necessary. Action Aid, for its part, is seeking material support to provide the following assistance to communities that are in dire straits, especially women who are living by themselves, disabled, aged and in an area that consists of peasant population, dependent on small scale farming and informal labour.  

Shelter	Tarpaulin sheets of standard size for tents/temporary shelter
	Four bamboo poles
	Ropes (2 kilo coil)
	Plastic sheet (5 by 6) for covering wet floors
	Support for reconstruction of permanent houses.
Food Security	Rice (30 kilo), chewda (5 kilo), oil (2  liters), 250 each of chilly power, dhaniya, mustard
	Supplementary nutrition for pregnant & lactating women and children
WASH	Halogen tablets for water purification
	Hygiene and first aid kits (Five bathing soaps, ORS, Bandage, cotton, antiseptic lotion and cream, medicine for cough and cold, fever)
	Decontamination of hand pumps & Construction of raised hand pumps
	Bleaching powder
	Water filters
NFIs	Utensils (basic for a family of five)
	Clothing for new born babies and children.
	Two temporary cots/charpoy – (4 kilos of coir rope, 12 bamboo poles – measuring 5 feet each)
	Mosquito nets (two sets), mosquito cream (odomos 100 grms four tubes)
	Bed sheets (three) , plastic mat two (5 by 2 feet)
Livelihood Support	5 – 10 kilos of paddy seeds, kilo of mustard seeds, assorted one kilo of vegetable seeds

Contacts in ActionAid India : Ms.Sehjo Singh, Director Programs (sehjo.singh@actionaid.org) , M Number – 8800129222, Ravi SK , Head, Institutional Partnership Development (ravi.sk@actionaid.org) – 9868216135, 011-40640560

Assam is currently experiencing the most severe flooding seen in the state in over 30 years. To date, more than 3.3 million people have been affected in 3186 villages across 25 districts. Action Aid India is on the ground in Guwahati and other areas in Assam providing critical assistance, but additional resources are urgently needed to ensure that populations affected by the flooding can make a full and speedy recovery. Impact of Floods Since the beginning of July, Assam has been struck by two waves of flooding that have taken an enormous toll on communities throughout the state. The first wave of flooding was preceded by incessant rainfall caused by the combination of an early monsoon and the effects of Cyclone Mora. The floods reached their peak around July 13^th-14^th, at which point more than 1.7 million people were affected across 16 districts in the state. Though the statewide water level began to recede for a few days at the end of July temporarily allowing people to return to their homes, Assam was struck again by another round of deadly floods in August, the effects of which are still being dealt with today. Recent estimates suggest that the current episode of flooding in August has killed at least 180 people in Assam alone and displaced hundreds of thousands more from their homes in districts such as Morigaon, North Lakhimpur, Dhemaji, South Salmara, Barpeta, Kokrajhar and Dhubri. Flooding has additionally had a number of other consequences, including damaging/destroying countless houses and other buildings, and affecting 182,343 hectares of cropland, which has proven to be particularly problematic for the large portion of the Assamese population who are farmers and rely on agriculture for their economic livelihood. As a result of flooding, many people across Assam have moreover been left with insufficient access to food and clean water and currently face an elevated risk of diseases like malaria, cholera, and diarrhea in submerged areas. Government Response To date, government actors have responded to the crisis in Assam by:

• Organizing search and rescue operations that have involved Indian Army troops, and both National and State Disaster Relief Forces. These operations have saved more than 3000 lives.
• Constructing relief camps throughout the state, where up to 138,648 people have taken shelter in 304 different locations.
• Distributing emergency dry food rations to individuals and families in relief camps.
• Providing non-food items (NFIs) such as water purification tablets, tarpaulins, candles, mosquito coils, etc. These goods have helped address some of the vulnerabilities faced by flood-affected communities but have been unevenly distributed and insufficient in quantity.

Action Aid’s Intervention Thus Far (As on August 30, 2017) Along with local partner organizations including SSTEP, NEADS and NERSWN, Action Aid India has been taking an active role in the overall emergency response and has reached more than 2200 families in flood-affected areas of Assam. To date, our relief efforts in Morigaon district especially have included:

• Distributing pre-cooked food and dry rations including rice, lentils, salt, and cooking oil (600 families)
• Providing tarpaulin sheets for the construction of temporary shelters (600 families)
• Supplying essential WASH items like hygiene kits and bleaching powder to limit the spread of disease (300 families)
• Giving NFIs including dignity kits and to women and other affected groups (600 families)
• Providing basic healthcare to people and communities in need (300 families)

Action Aid India has also been working tirelessly to help promote longer term rehabilitation of affected populations. These efforts have included:

• Initiating cash-for-work programs to ensure that families that have been impacted by flooding have access to a stable source of income
• Providing livelihood support to families in the form of seeds and other supplies
• Supporting female-headed households with financial assistance

What are the Relief Requirements? Given the immense scale of flooding in Assam, there are still significant vulnerabilities among affected communities need to be addressed. The following requirements have been identified by Action Aid and local partner organizations as being of immediate importance:  

Food Security	Additional food aid is required to meet the needs of flood-affected communities. The government and NGOs have been distributing rations to families, but not enough has reached those in need and groups like women and children remain vulnerable.
WASH	More water purification tablets are needed to ensure that communities have access to clean water for drinking and other uses. The lack of a safe and reliable water supply in many affected areas of Assam has caused some people to turn to drinking flood water, which poses a health hazard.
Shelter	Tarpaulins are required to help families affected by the floods construct temporary shelters. Though some shelter camps have been established, they do not have enough space to meet the shelter needs of the entire affected population.
NFIs	Hygeine kits are needed to reduce the health risks caused by flooding and help crisis-afflicted communities live with dignity under the harsh conditions they face.
Livelihoods	Farmers require fodder for livestock and seeds/paddy sapplings to help them recover from the damage flooding has caused to their livelihoods.

Considering the needs of people in flood-affected areas, Action Aid and its local partners have developed plans to target villages in two blocks that have been hit particularly hard by the emergency: Chariali in Biswanath Chariali District and Lahorighat in Morigaon District.  

Affected villages and estimated number of affected families
District: Biswanath Chariali
Block: Chaiduar
Sl.No	Name of Village	Gaon Panchayat	Affected families/people     (based on estimates from local people)
1	Gopal Jarani	Bakori doloni	270
2	Low-Khoti	Bakori doloni	310
3	Thotachapori	Bakori doloni	193
4	Bordoloni	Kalyanpur	280
5	Datkola	Kalyanpur	390
6	Bakari Doloni	Bakoro Doloni	409
7	Galcheppa	Krishnapur/Rangaliyal	500
8	Jakapara	Rangaliyal	570
9	Akhoiphuta	Rangaliyal	393
Total			3315
District: Morigaon
Block: Lahorighat
Sl.No	Name of Village	Gaon Panchayat	Affected families/people    (based on estimates from local people)
1	Kathani	Kathani	250
2	Mikirgaon	Tulsibari	270
3	Tulsibori	Tulsibari	200
4	Jatiabori	Tulsibari	245
5	Batabori	Dupguri	320
6	Tengaguri	Tengaguri	265
7	Tinsukia	Dupguri	400
8	Mohmara	Dupguri	150
Total			2100

 Indicative Budget to reach about 1700 families would be as under:

Relief Support
	Items/particulars	Unit	Quantity	Rate	Amount
1.)	Food aid (1700 families)				1334500
A	Rice (20 kg. Per family)	kg.	34000	30	1020000
B	Lentils (Masur Dal) (1 kg. Per family)	kg.	1700	60	102000
C	Cooking Oil (Mustard Oil) (1 lts. per family)	lt.	1700	110	187000
D	Salt (1 kg. Per family)	kg.	1700	15	25500
2.)	WASH				1376150
A	Bleaching powder	kg.	850	19	16150
B	Hygiene Kit	Pkt	1700	800	1360000
3.)	Shelter				120000
A	Tarpaulin sheets	Pcs	200	600	120000
Rehabilitation supports
4.)	Livelihoods support				486000
A	Seeds(Mustard and Pulses)	Kg	2800	120	336000
B	Seeds (rabi crop)	seed kit	500	300	150000
5.)	Cash for work (shelter repairing)				525000
A	House repairing under cash for work (300 families for 7 days))	days	2100	250	525000
6.)	Support to women headed households				225000
	Support to women headed households	person	75	3000	225000
Communication, logistics and HR
7.)	Communication and awareness				35000
1	Meetings	Lumpsum	1	15000	15000
2	Visibility materials /printing/stationary	Lumpsum	1	20000	20000
8.)	Logistics				110000
1	Relief material transportation	Lumpsum	1	50000	50000
2	Travel	Lumpsum	1	40000	40000
3	Cost for management of relief distribution	1	1	20000	20000
9.)	Salaries and honorariums				98000
1	Project coordinator (1 person for 2 months)	months	2	14000	28000
2	Volunteers (7 persons for 2 months)	months	14	5000	70000
	Total		INR		4309650