Association of Medical Doctors of ASIA, founded in 1984, Consultative Status with UN ECOSOC since 1995

In response to the flooding caused by the overflow of the Phalgu river in Bodhgaya, India, AMDA conducted emergency relief with its local staff and partners.
 
Because of the incessant seasonal rain, the Phalgu River flooded on the evening of 22 August. The river is approximately nine kilometres away from central Bodhgaya, where AMDA’s local activity hub is located.
 
On 26 August, AMDA’s local team began surveying the extent of the damage in a suburban area where many of the residents were of the lowest caste.
 
According to the team, most of the mud houses were severely damaged or fully destroyed and were covered with polytarps temporarily. Although flood water had receded, puddles were covering the ground, which could cause mosquito-borne infectious diseases such as malaria and dengue fever. During this season, Bodhgaya has to endure extreme heat conditions especially when it is not raining.
 
“We needed to evacuate to the roof as soon as possible when the river flooded,” one of the villagers told the AMDA team. “Children could have been washed away had the time been late at night,” he said. “We were lucky because it wasn’t dark yet at the time.”
 
Although their lives were saved, the villagers lost foodstuffs they stored at home such as beans and rice. Moreover, some of their crops and livestock, including cows, goats, and chickens, were either affected or washed away. The residents had been coping with the situation by sharing food with people in neighbouring villages and nearby communities.
 
 
 
Based on the survey, on 8 September, AMDA’s relief team, which included volunteers and local partners, distributed food supplies to 75 families at the village of Ghongharia.
 
Each household received a set of food items containing five kilograms of rice, two kilograms of potatoes, one kilogram of onions, 500 millilitres of mustard oil, spices, and one bag of biscuits. The amount was enough to feed a family of four to five people for a week.
 
One of the villagers said: “Because our mud houses are either half or completely destroyed, we have been forced to spend our daytime outside and take shelter at schools and community centres at night. We hope to start repairing our house as winter will come soon. Living outdoors during the cold season is unbearable, but it’s always hard for us to make ends meet, especially when you need money for a house repair while feeding yourself. All we can do is to seek work elsewhere, make money, and come back. We always repeat this cycle. To that extent, we are thankful for your food distribution. This is because we can focus on fixing our house without seeking work in cities for the time being.” 
 
Although flood water has receded, many people in Ghongharia have still been sleeping outdoors. Since the area is surrounded by farms and irrigation canals, mosquito-borne diseases have been feared.
 
In light of such circumstances, coordination is underway for AMDA’s next relief work.