GUWAHATI, March 5 � The European Union (EU), through its Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection Department (ECHO), has been extending support to the north-eastern (NE) States of the country under its Humanitarian Implementation Plan (HIP) 2013 and Disaster Preparedness Programme (DIPECHO)-VII.
Through these programmes, the EU has extended relief and early recovery assistance to people living in Chirang and Kokrajhar districts of the State. It has also provided food assistance, short term food security, livelihood support, water and sanitation services�to the people of Barpeta, Chirang, Kokrajhar, Dhubri, Karbi Anglong and Jorhat (Majuli sub-division) districts of the State.
Considering the region�s vulnerability to floods, Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) components have also been included in the projects in order to enhance the resilience of the communities. Examples include the provision of flood-resilient shelters or the construction of elevated evacuation roads.�
Besides, 12 Bru repatriated villages in Mamit district of Mizoram, people of Imphal, Bishnupur, Churachandpur, Tamenglong and Chandel districts of Manipur and West Tripura and Dhalai districts of Tripura also benefited from the EU programmes, sources in the EU told this newspaper.
In July 2012, ECHO financed an Emergency Decision for Euro 2 million to respond to flooding in Assam; in August 2012, Euro 200,000 were also channelled through the Small Scale Response mechanism to respond to mass displacement in western Assam, the sources added.
