ASSAM, INDIA, Aug. 06, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As the death toll mounts to 91 this monsoon season, UNITED SIKHS continue to offer humanitarian relief for flood survivors, including a free medical camp. In coordination with the Army’s Sikh Regiment, UNITED SIKHS volunteers are providing free physician check-ups and medicine.
"The steady rain, receding waters and contaminated wells and drinking sources present the perfect storm for potential outbreaks," said Dr. Bhupender Kaur, UNITED SIKHS Volunteer. "It is important to provide both preventative care and medicine to the flood survivors to help combat the spread of deadly diseases. We look forward to working with the Sikh Regiment to offer medical care free of charge to those in need."
"Humanitarian work is crucial to save lives and must be carried out to all survivors in need, regardless of race, religion and ethnicity," said UNITED SIKHS CEO Jagdeep Singh. "Service to all without discrimination is the ultimate manifestation of spiritual teachings and this is required today more than ever in the world."
The medical camp joins UNITED SIKHS efforts already taking place on the ground, as the non-profit has been serving daily nutritious vegetarian meals, including rice, dal and vegetables, and providing shelter at their humanitarian relief camp at Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha. To date, volunteers have served fresh daily meals to more than 2,000 flood survivors every day since the disaster struck.
"It has been an honor to serve these communities in their time of need and demonstrate the impact of seva (selfless service)," said Mohinderjit Singh, UNITED SIKHS Director. "Through our commitment to uplift humanity in times of disaster, we are blessed to be able to work for the community and Gurdwara leadership to provide free medical care, food, shelter and clothing. This humanitarian crisis must be addressed on all fronts to help survivors in their long-term recovery."
In addition to medical services and daily Langar (community meal service), UNITED SIKHS volunteers have launched a clothing drive, providing enough garments for 300 families. As personal belongings along with entire homes have been swept away with receding waters, the need for non-food relief items also remains paramount, including apparel, tarpaulin, bed sheets, blankets, mosquito nets, ropes and sleeping mats.
According to a bulletin released by the Assam State Disaster Management authority (ASDMA), 12.24 lakh people are affected by floods. The highest number of victims is in Barpeta (8.19 lakh), Morigaon (2.01 lakh) and Goalpara (over 1 lakh) districts. A total of 1,113 villages have been hit by floods.
Local drinking water sources, including open wells and hand pumps, have been contaminated and are unusable. Government officials reported that more than 1.7 million people in Assam have lost their homes. Nearly 2 million people have been displaced in nearby Bihar.
Assam has been facing dire floods since around July 10, when heavy monsoon rainfall caused the Brahmaputra River and many of its tributaries to flood, as reported by The Weather Channel. The rising waters inundated thousands of villages and displaced lakhs of people. More than 200 animals are reported dead at Kaziranga National Park.
On Monday, the Central Water Commission said the Brahmaputra River was flowing above the danger level at Neamatighat in Jorhat and Dhubri. The Dhansiri River was also above the danger mark at Numaligarh, the Jia Bharali in Sonitpur, and the Kushiyara at Karimganj.
As moderate rain and thundershowers is forecast over Assam and other parts of the northeast for the coming days, UNITED SIKHS is urging for public support and making a call for donations to aid humanitarian relief efforts. All contributions go directly to the organization’s Sikh Aid program.
"We can only do this life-saving work through the generous contributions of our supporters," said Gurvinder Singh, UNITED SIKHS Global Sikh Aid Director. "We are grateful for all donations, however large or small. Flood survivors have lost everything -- every little bit goes extremely far in uplifting them on their road to recovery in the wake of such a large-scale disaster."
For the latest updates on the ground situation, please follow UNITED SIKHS on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. All relief efforts are made possible due to the generous contributions of our donors and supporters. To donate, please visit: https://unitedsikhs.org/donate-in-india/.
ABOUT UNITED SIKHS
Associated with the United Nations Dept. of Public Information UNITED SIKHS is a global humanitarian charity that advocates for civil and human rights across 10 chapters. Our International Civil & Human Rights Advocacy helps advance the economic, social and spiritual empowerment of minorities and other marginalized groups and individuals in need, regardless of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, social status, age or ability. We achieve this by protecting and enforcing the civil and human rights of minorities and marginalized groups in the Americas, Europe and Asia. Visit us at www.UNITEDSIKHS.org
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