Every third flood victim is a child

3.2m flood affectees including 1.4m children face acute shortage of food, medicines

(INFN/DW): Every third flood victim is a child as out of over three million affectees, 1.4 million are the children under 18, say the assessments of aid workers and institutions.

They say clean drinking water, food, medical supplies and sanitation are urgently needed if the spread of disease is to be prevented. Many children are already suffering from illnesses such as gastroenteritis.

According to United Nations, almost a million people have lost their homes or are displaced. UNICEF says 1.3 of 3.2 million affected people in total were severely affected. 1.4 million children under the age of 18 are among the victims.

Amid reports of public complaints of being left out in the relief operation, government agencies and relief workers say some of the flood hit areas are not accessible.

Due to more rain forecast, new flood warnings were issued on Tuesday. So far, at least 1,200 people have been killed by the worst floods to hit the country in living memory.

Officials fear the death toll could rise to over 1,500 and there is growing concern that waterborne diseases such as cholera could break out among the three million people affected by the floods.