UN plans to expand food aid to 200,000 people in flood-affected Myanmar

The United Nations announced Wednesday its plans to reach 200,000 with emergency food aid in flood-affected Myanmar, which was recently hit by flooding caused by heavy rains and monsoon.

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said here that the World Food Program (WFP) is now focusing efforts on reaching Bago, Chin, Kachin, Magway, Mon, Rakhine and Sagaing. Some of these communities are difficult to reach because of high waters and damaged roads, he added.

The WFP has been working with the government, local non- government organizations and other UN agencies to deliver emergency assistance since Aug. 2, and has so far been able to reach 82,000 people, said Dujarric.

Unusually heavy monsoon rains have affected more than 200,000 people in Myanmar since June.

Flooding and landslides caused by monsoon rains have impacted more than a quarter of a million people in 12 out of Myanmar's 14 states and nearly 208,000 people are now estimated to be in need of immediate food assistance. Both of these figures are expected to rise as further information becomes available.

WFP is appealing for additional resources to respond to the flood emergency. Some 3 million U.S. dollars per month is required to meet the currently-estimated flood needs, on top of existing operations in the country. Funding needs are expected to grow as the number of affected people increases.

The world body's largest program in Myanmar before the flooding was the ongoing distribution of food assistance to displaced people in Rakhine State, where floodwaters are hindering an accurate assessment of food needs this time. Endite