Australia will provide emergency relief assistance to Bangladesh

Australia will provide emergency relief assistance to Bangladesh where floods continue to ravage large parts of the country.

In response to a request from the Bangladesh Government, Australia will bring forward its annual shipment of 45,000 tonnes of wheat to Bangladesh. The $18 million wheat shipment will help alleviate food shortages resulting from crop losses. The World Food Programme will distribute the Australian wheat.

Australia will also contribute $50,000 to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies' emergency appeal and $50,000 to the Bangladesh Rural Advance Commission (BRAC), a local non-government organisation.

The Red Cross/Crescent appeal focuses on initial emergency relief including family kits, made up of clothing, cooking utensils, soap, and other basic items, the provision of medical services and longer-term assistance in re-establishing crops.

BRAC is providing immediate flood relief assistance to vulnerable groups, especially women and children who are without food and shelter as a result of the floods. Assistance will focus on the provision of clean drinking water, basic food and medical supplies.

Hundreds of people have died and millions are homeless as a result of the floods, which extend across two-thirds of Bangladesh. Much of the country's rice crop has been destroyed and there is extensive damage to buildings, roads and bridges.

A senior AusAID officer has also been deployed to Bangladesh as part of a six-person United Nations flood assessment team.

Australia will continue to monitor the floods and stands ready to provide further assistance if required.