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Rivalry delays island flood aid
17/05/2002 15:01 - (SA)
Toamasina, Madagascar - A long-running row between two rivals for the presidency is preventing desperately needed aid from reaching eastern Madagascar, where floods have killed 29 people, relief workers said on Friday.
The flooding, caused by four days of non-stop torrential rain,
has killed at least 29 people in and around the port city of
Toamasina, 360km east of the capital, Antananarivo, according to a new toll issued by officials on Friday.
Aid organisations warned that the indirect casualty toll from
the floods would also rise in the coming days as water-borne
diseases begin to spread in the region.
That threat would be compounded by access difficulties for
rescue services and food aid providers, humanitarian officials and UN sources in Toamasina and Antananarivo said.
They complained that they have had difficulty obtaining
authorisation to visit the flooded east coast, with a joint UN aid and lending organisation team needing two days before it was
allowed to fly over Toamasina to assess the damage from last week's tropical storm that sparked the flooding.
Long-time ruler Didier Ratsiraka set up his capital in Toamasina when his election foe Marc Ravalomanana unilaterally declared himself president in February and installed his government in the highland capital, Antananarivo.
Ratsiraka refuse to acknowledge rival's victory
Ravalomanana was early this month officially declared president after a recount of a contentious presidential vote held in December, but Ratsiraka has refused to acknowledge his rival's victory.
Ratsiraka's backers have for three months mounted a stifling
blockade of Antananarivo, aimed at starving the Ravalomananana
stronghold of vital goods. They have blown up key bridges leading
to the capital, including at least one on the main road to
Toamasina.
Those acts of sabotage have been compounded as the flood waters have washed away still more bridges leading to the eastern port and rendered the poorly maintained roads virtually impracticable.
Regional official Clermont Mahazaka said all the victims were
carried off by flood waters or drowned.
Houses and bridges were swept away by the flood waters that also destroyed much of the local rice crop, on which many inhabitants depend for a meagre living, he added.
City under water
The island nation's second largest city has been under water
since a tropical storm hit eastern Madagascar last week.
A toll released early this week put the number of dead at 18,
all from the city of Toamasina, with rescue services unable to
reach the towns and villages outside the port.
Eleven new fatalities announced Friday were from eight of the 15 towns that lie within a 30km radius of Toamasina, Mahazaka said, adding that he feared the death toll would continue to rise.
All the victims were carried off by flood waters or drowned,
Mahazaka said.
Houses and bridges were swept away by the flood waters, which
also destroyed much of the local rice crop, on which many
inhabitants depend for a meagre living, he added.
The rain stopped on Sunday morning after four days of downpour. - Sapa-AFP
- SAPA
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