Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live At Daybreak

India Floods: Half a Million Still Marooned

Aired July 23, 2001 - 08:12   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
COLLEEN MCEDWARDS, CNN ANCHOR: At least 60 people have been killed. Hundreds of thousands are marooned by floods in India's Orissa today. It is the same area devastated by a cyclone two years ago. Now there are fears of waterborne diseases.

Our New Delhi bureau chief Satinder Bindra is in the region for us -- Satinder.

SATINDER BINDRA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Colleen -- officials very concerned about the spread of waterborne diseases.

There's a lot of water around where I am. And to make things worse, it is starting to rain. This is likely to compound the misery of some 7 million people, who have been affected by this flood.

Colleen, here is the latest: Some 12,000 villages are still submerged. About a half million people are still marooned. And as the death toll in this tragedy continues to mount, more and more people are fleeing to the safety of higher ground. Here, where I am, several hundred people are just camped out on the sides of the roads. They are living in small tents. These tents are covered by just pieces of plastic and some cloth. At night, they get wet by the rain -- many people complaining of fevers -- many people complaining of headaches. People are also very hungry.

Right in this area where I am, the army has set up several mobile clinics. And concerned about the spread of waterborne diseases, the army doctors are now handing out tens of thousands of water-purifying tablets. Here in this area, the army has also deployed seven motorboats. Every morning, they carry food.

They carry cooking oil and plastic sheets to thousands of people who are still marooned here. The army estimates some 85 villages in this area are still under water. So far, they have managed to get relief supplies into about 25 villages only. So, potentially, there could be thousands of people here who still have not received any relief supplies, Colleen, in the past week.

MCEDWARDS: CNN's Satinder Bindra, thanks.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com