Qatar and its leadership are always at the forefront of charity and welfare of the humanity. In this context, Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani has directed to allocate $5m to help provide shelter to those who lost their homes as a result of the flood caused by recent rains in the southern state of Kerala of the friendly Republic of India.
H H the Amir also sent a cable of condolences to the President of India, Ram Nath Kovind, on the victims of the floods, wishing the injured a speedy recovery.
The death toll in India’s southern state, known for its tourist beaches and hill resorts, rose to nearly 400 yesterday after its worst flood since 1924, as authorities handed out medicine and disinfectants to ward off disease in thousands of relief camps. Dozens of people are missing and around a million people are sheltering in around 3,500 camps, as water receded and a huge clean-up gathered pace.
Rains since August 8 have swelled rivers and triggered landslides across a region roughly the size of Switzerland with a 33 million population. The floods have caused an estimated $3bn in damage but the bill is likely to rise as the scale of devastation becomes clearer.
Qatar Charity, through its representative office in India, has also launched an emergency relief for those affected by the huge floods with a total value of half a million riyals for the first stage. This humanitarian interface coincides with the launch of a fund raising campaign targeting more than QR4m to meet the urgent humanitarian needs of 60,000 people through food, medical and shelter assistance.
It’s a heart warming gesture that Qatar Charity urged philanthropists in Qatar to help people affected in Kerala, by providing food, medicine, medical assistance, restoring and rebuilding homes and reaching out for the victims as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, Qatar Airways Cargo has also announced its relief efforts to deliver urgent aid. The cargo carrier has expeditiously organised an operation to deliver relief goods to flood-stricken districts via the airline’s passenger service from Doha to Thiruvananthapuram.
Qatar Airways Chief Officer, Cargo, Guillaume Halleux, said: We are expecting to airlift more than 50 tonnes of much-needed relief goods from the operation, which will commence from August 21 to 29. Our prayers and thoughts are with the victims’ families and we hope the region will quickly recover from the disaster.”
In celebration of Eid Al Adha, Qatar Airways Cargo also invited residents of the State of Qatar to generously contribute relief aid, including dry food, water, clothing, and medicines to those in need. Each donation is permitted up to 100kg. All these efforts show the concern of Qatar and its leadership for humanitarian crises and are active in supporting relief efforts internationally.
