The Mercy Relief response team is in Cambodia since last Friday in response to a direct appeal made by the Cambodian Senior Minister in charge of Special Mission and Vice President of the National Committee for Disaster Management, H.E. Dr Ly Thuch. Leading the response team, Chief Executive Hassan Ahmad said, “16 other provinces in Cambodia are facing similar challenges after prolonged flooding since September due to persistent heavy rains which caused the bourgeoning and overflow of the Mekong and Tonlé Sap. Many places are inundated by flood waters which rose between one to three metres high. The worst floods in decades struck just a fortnight before the much-anticipated annual harvest, causing immediate shortage of food and longer-termed rice supply and livelihood woes”.
15 units of the bicycle-powered water filtration systems left Singapore on Sunday for the Philippines to help the victims of typhoons Nesat and Nalgae. Typhoon Nesat battered 35 provinces in northern and central Luzon on 27 September, followed five days later by Typhoon Nalgae that etched a similar track to Nesat causing further damage to 17 of those 35 provinces.
Floods left behind by the two typhoons were made worse by continued rain on the coastal areas north of Manila. Over four million people are affected by the typhoons that destroyed food crops, water systems, and homes that left over 727,000 people displaced or in need of assistance. The 13 death toll stands at 95, with 34 still missing.
Where streets have no face –Cambodians clinging on to their lives but not their crops. Anxiety grips hundreds of thousands as food shortage worsens.
Hopelessly devoided –Senior Minister Dr Ly Thuch with MR CE Hassan Ahmad assessing the displaced communities’ needs in Pursat province, where many homes are still submerged and evacuees are exposed to natural elements and poisonous snake bites.
Submerged homes –The massive floods caused widespread displacement, and with limited high grounds, evacuees live in congested environments making them vulnerable to outbreak of diseases.
Loads in quantity, little in quality –A girl in Pursat province sharing the water plight of hundreds of thousands of Cambodians. There is a rapid increase in diarrhoea cases amongst the affected communities.
Communities in distress –Affected villagers take refuge in makeshift tents, without safe water supplies and proper sanitation.
Double jeopardy –The flood victims not only lose their rice fields, but now find rice prices escalating daily. MR’s first batch of 5 tonnes of rice ready for distribution to the survivors in Pursat province.
About Mercy Relief
Mercy Relief is a Singaporean humanitarian organisation which engages in both disaster relief and sustainable development programmes. It was established in 2003 as an independent non-governmental humanitarian charity responding to the human tragedies in Asia. Mercy Relief’s aid programme focuses on providing timely and effective assistance to disaster-stricken communities and has maintained the delivery of emergency aid within 72 hours from the point of appeal for assistance.
In the past 12 years, Mercy Relief has disbursed over S$32 million in aid across 40 disaster relief and 53 sustainable development initiatives. Mercy Relief has impacted an aggregate of 2 million lives in 24 countries and areas, namely Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, DPR Korea, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Japan, Laos, Lebanon, Malaysia, the Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Palestine, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam and Yemen.
For more information, you may call us at 6514 6322 or email corporateaffairs@mercyrelief.org
