The United Nations International Children's Fund (UNICEF) has started distributing supplies to families affected by devastating floods in the mid-western and far- western regions of Nepal, a local media group's website reported on Wednesday.

According to thehimalayantimes.com, the Nepal Red Cross Society, UNICEF's partner in the aid distribution, estimates that some 5, 800 households were affected by floods in the district of Banke, while another 5,000 households were affected in neighboring Bardiya district in western Nepal.

Some 30 percent of the houses in Banke and 1,030 homes in Bardiya reportedly have been destroyed. Families have been taking shelter on the high ground next to main roads, and six local schools are being used as shelters.

"Our immediate concern for the families is that they have shelter and warmth, and to ensure they can purify their drinking water," UNICEF's Representative in Nepal Suomi Sakai said.

The districts most affected by the flooding are some of the poorest districts in the country. The families living there have been heavily hit both by the internal conflict of the last 10 years and by a recent drought.

"Diarrhea is a major worry," Sakai said. "Some 45 children die each day (from diarrhea) in Nepal as it is, even without a natural disaster. It is vital that the families can purify water easily."

Along with the World Food Program (WFP), the Red Cross and other organizations, UNICEF is working closely with the government of Nepal to assess the situation and coordinate relief efforts.

The organization is sending technical experts in hygiene and water supply to help with the assessment in flood-affected areas, and its field staff on the ground is already assisting with preliminary surveys.

Meanwhile, UNICEF staff also joined a joint mission to Bardiya with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, WFP and the United Nations Development Program.

"If the rains start to ease up soon, there is the possibility that the flood waters will start to recede within a week," Sakai said.

"But if the rains continue, the plight of these families may become much worse," Sakai added.

Source: Xinhua