Women and children continue to be most at risk from the floods in India, Nepal and Bangladesh, international development organisation WaterAid warned today.
The flood waters have affected 40 million people -- a population the size of London and Tokyo combined-causing significant damage to water and sanitation facilities, the charity said in a release here.
These devastating floods have wiped out fragile infrastructure, compromising families' ability to get clean drinking water and destroying toilets and hygiene facilities, it said, putting lives and livelihoods at risk and inflicting countless indignities on those who survive.
"For women and girls, who usually bear the burden of water collection, exposure to dirty water sources heightens the risk of infection.
"The loss of sanitation infrastructure means greater risk of disease transmission, heightened risks of infection, of harassment or attack when girls try to find a safe place to relieve themselves, as well as the indignity and health risks of being unable to manage periods hygienically",WaterAid said.
India is the worst affected country with 943 deaths reported and 30 million people affected, according to the UN.
V K Madhavan, Chief Executive of WaterAid India said though the flood waters are beginning to recede, the situation is getting more critical.
"People are unable to access safe sanitation or clean drinking water as household toilets are waterlogged and water pumps have been submerged. In this situation the outbreak of disease is highly likely," he said.
Madhavan said as an immediate response, WaterAid India plans to chlorinate existing water sources and distribute essential hygiene kits, including soap and sanitary napkins.
The organisation was also exploring short-term options for safe sanitation, he said.
"Given that floods have become a constant problem in Madhubani district of Bihar, one of the severely affected flood areas, in the long term, we are planning to advocate for infrastructure that is resilient to such disasters like raised water hand-pumps and appropriate toilet designs," he said.
In Bangladesh, the UN estimates that eight million people have been affected across 32 districts.
It's the fourth time this year that the country has been hit by flooding.
In Nepal, where 1.7 million people have been affected, the flood waters are starting to recede and residents are beginning to return to their homes. However the risk of disease remains high.
In Siraha district, cases of diarrhoea, skin infections, and viral fevers have all been reported due to lack of clean water and sanitation, WaterAid said.
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