Burma (Myanmar) – UNICEF has begun distributing emergency supplies such as medicines, clothing, cooking utensils and water purification tablets in Myanmar in the wake of flooding that has struck the country. Media reports say thousands of people have been left homeless by the floods, which come two weeks after the start of the annual monsoon season. Schools have had to close, rail services have been suspended in some areas and bridges have also been washed out. The worst affected areas are on and inland from the western, central and southern coasts. (UN News)
Nepal -Regardless of the end of a decade-long conflict in November 2006, between Maoist guerrillas and the government, a the number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) is still very substantial. An estimate just below the original IDPs of 200,000, are still unable to return home, and continue to live in extreme poverty in urban centers. That number of displaced families has only decreased slightly due to the fact that former Maoist rebels continue to control the villages. The majority of IDPs are children and they continue suffer the most, according to the NRC in Nepal. (IRIN)
Philippines – Efforts are being made to slow rapidly-growing birth rate, looks to fail unless the central government avoids religious pressures, and looks to provide funding for condoms and birth control pills. With a population of about 89 million, the predominantly Catholic country has one of the fastest-growing populations in Asia, with around 2 million babies born every year. Even if the population growth rate can be lowered to 1% from 2.34% (2000 census), it iss estimated that an increase in population will jump close to 142 million by 2040. (Reuters)
Sri Lanka – On July 11, Sri Lankan troops drove Tamil Tiger fighters from their last stronghold in the island's, according to the military said, however rebels vowed to continue with their guerrilla war. The military captured the area called Thoppigala, a significant stride as it has been in the Tamil Tiger hands since the mid-1990s. This is one of many territorial gains this year for the Sir Lankan government, however the Tamil Tigers de facto state in the north remains still intact. (Reuters)
Iraq – 185 displaced families need to be relocated urgently, as they have been stranded in the harsh conditions at a desert camp in southern Iraq, the Iraqi Red Crescent Society (IRCS) says. “Three infants aged 1-3 have died due to soaring temperatures in the al-Manathira internally displaced persons (IDP) camp where about 1,100 individuals, are living in just 200 tents,” said IRCS branch head Dhia Zuwaini. The families were part of an estimated 5,500 displaced families in the Najaf area, about 200 kilometers south of Baghdad. (IRIN)
Afghanistan – Recent flooding has contaminated drinking water in many parts of the country, and appears to be the cause of the reported increase in diarrhea cases countrywide. Over 10,000 people with acute diarrhea, mostly children, have sought treatment at hospitals in four Afghan provinces, including Kabul, in just three weeks. At least 20 deaths have been reported in several districts in just five weeks, provincial health workers said. (IRIN)
