Reuters -
The body count in the worst floods for decades to hit Vietnam"s
Mekong Delta reached 187 on Friday and the United Nations said
it was alarmed by the high proportion of child casualties. The
vast majority of the dead in the floods that have inundated about
700,000 homes and affected millions in the Delta in the past month
have been children.
State-run
Vietnam Television said the toll by Friday evening had reached
187, of whom 155 were children. "We find it truly alarming
that such a disproportionate number of young children are falling
victim to the floods," said Morten Giersing, Vietnam representative
of the U.N. Children"s Fund (UNICEF). In statement after
visiting the southern flood zone Giersing said that in addition
to immediate dangers, children"s long-term development was
being adversely affected.
Food shortages
were afflicting thousands of children and cases of diarrhoea were
up 150 percent. Outbreaks of other diseases, like cholera, dengue
and malaria would take an even greater toll as the floods receded
in coming months, it said. The Red Cross estimated on Friday that
75,000 families, or more than 375,000 people, had had to be evacuated
to higher ground in the Delta and said it could be 10 weeks before
they were able to return to their homes.
Local officials
say the lingering flood waters could delay planting of the main
rice crop in the region, Vietnam"s rice bowl, although the
country has huge surplus supplies. FAMILIES NOT GETTING AID Despite
this surplus, UNICEF said all the families its team met in the
stricken Long An and An Giang provinces had complained that they
had yet to receive emergency aid.
It said lack
of distribution of relief supplies was putting more children at
risk. "Many children are left unattended at home by parents
heading out in search of food, firewood or work," it said.
"Most children"s deaths occurred by drowning while their
parents were away from home." UNICEF said most evacuees were
in crowded and unsanitary conditions with families consuming dirty
river water posing another acute health risk to children.
The government
and international aid agencies have pledged several million dollars
of flood relief, but disruption caused by the floods has made
aid distribution difficult. On Thursday, Vietnam denied charges
by a banned religious group that it was obstructing Buddhist relief
supplies. The Paris-based International Buddhist Information Bureau
said a team of 17 Buddhists from the outlawed United Buddhist
Church of Vietnam was prevented from distributing more than $22,000
worth of relief supplies last week.
The Foreign
Ministry said the government and ruling Communist Party paid close
attention to relief supplies, but these were expected to go through
approved institutions. On Thursday, the Red Cross said deforestation
was the main culprit for the Mekong River floods which have killed
more than 400 across Southeast Asia. It said the floods could
worsen in coming years due to this and climate change.
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