Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Google offer aid for flood-hit Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram: The flow of global aid for the flood-hit Kerala has picked up with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Google India on Tuesday announcing their share for the massive relief and rebuilding operations the state has to undertake.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is making a $600,000 (about Rs 4.20 crore) grant to UNICEF to bolster government efforts and initiatives by non-governmental organisations (NGOs) for assisting displaced, flood-affected people and helping them rebuild their lives, a release from Bill Melinda Gates Foundation said.  There is also an urgent need to build temporary shelters and provide essentials like food, dry clothes, medicines, and blankets, the release said.

“The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation extends its sympathies to the thousands of families affected by Kerala’s worst floods in nearly a century,” said Chris Elias, president of Global Development at the foundation. “We hope that our grant of fast and flexible funding will help UNICEF work with local governments and NGOs to prevent the outbreak of water-borne diseases and other severe health risks associated with flooding,” the release said. The Gates Foundation's Emergency Response programme aims to help accelerate rapid responses to natural disasters and complex emergencies through the quick disbursement of funds to humanitarian organisations.

The aid could come handy for the health department in the state which is seeking to prevent serious outbreaks of water-borne infectious diseases.

Meanwhile, Google said it will contribute $1 million (nearly Rs 7 crore) to the relief and restoration work in Kerala. “Google.org and Google employees are contributing $1 million to support flood relief efforts in Kerala and Karnataka, Rajan Anandan, vice-president, Southeast Asia and India, tweeted.