ASIA/INDIA - Catholic Bishop visits flooded areas in Gujarat and calls for solidarity

Ahmedabad (Fides Service) - The number of dead and homeless as a result of serious flooding in a vast area of western Indian continue sto rise. The floods are said to be the worst in recent years. The most affected area is Gujarat where torrential rains have left 250 people dead and 175,000 homeless. Rivers broke their banks, bridges and roads were swept away and infrastructures by heavy rains and wind which caused damage for millions of dollars.
Bishop Thomas Macwan of Ahmedabad, the capital city of Gujarat state visited the stricken people in Kheda and Anand districts which are in his diocese. “This is a calamity for our diocese, we have never seen anything like it”, the Bishop said. “I called on people in parishes to help shelter the homeless and give them emergency aid”.
The Bishop is concerned about the future. How will these people manage to rebuild homes and resume their normal activities, he asks. Many small farms have been flooded and rural communites have lost their only means of income, the land. Bishop Macwan has appealed to Caritas offices in the different countries to form a network of international solidarity.
(PA) (Agenzia Fides 15/7/2005 righe 21 parole 212)