UNICEF’s South Asia Regional Office said 16 Million Children Continue to Suffer as Floods in South Asia Claim More than 1,300 Lives. According to data released by UNICEF, the unusually heavy monsoon over the last several weeks has claimed more than 1,300 lives across Nepal, India and Bangladesh.

According to UNICEF, over 16 million children in the three countries are in urgent need of life-saving support Persistent rainfall has damaged school infrastructure, apart from depriving children of safe places to stay at, and necessities like drinking water and food.

According to data released by UNICEF, the unusually heavy monsoon over the last several weeks has claimed more than 1,300 lives across Nepal, India, and Bangladesh. Over 45 million people have suffered the direct impact of the rains and its resulting floods. Floods in South Asia For over two months, incessant rains have submerged numerous villages thereby forcing vast numbers of people into evacuation centers and relief camps.

According to a UN Agency report, over 16 million children residing in Nepal, India, and Bangladesh are in dire need of life-saving support due to weeks of torrential monsoons that have given rise to ‘catastrophic’ floods in the three South Asian countries.

UNICEF Regional Director for South Asia, Jean Gough noted that millions of children have already been affected by these devastating floods as incessant rains continue to pose a potential threat.  “Children have lost their homes, schools, and even friends and loved ones. There is a danger the worst could still be to come as rains continue and flood waters move south,” she added.

According to official figures, at least 1,288 deaths have been reported since mid-August. Gough believes the persistent rainfall and the resulting water accumulation have damaged school infrastructure among other things which will hamper children from attending classes for weeks, or even months. According to her, “Getting children back into school is absolutely critical in establishing a sense of stability for children during times of crisis and provides a sense of normality when everything else is being turned upside down” Among other urgent needs of these children are clean drinking water, sufficient food supplies, hygiene supplies to control and combat the spread of potential diseases and safe evacuation places for the children to stay at, study and play.

Floods in Nepal have displaced 352,738 people from their homes, thus, affecting over 1.7 million people. The water has reportedly surfaced to dangerous levels, to escape which people are making use of makeshift rafts and elephants for rescue operations.

According to a report, damage to nearly 1,958 schools has affected the education of over 253,605 children. Major media giants across the world are pledging their support to help combat the scale of destruction.