B4-0826, 0837, 0844, 0846, 0848, 0853, 0854 and 0859/98

Resolution on flooding in Bangladesh and China

The European Parliament,

A. having regard to the extensive flooding in Bangladesh which has inundated two thirds of the country and has already cost the lives of hundreds of people,

B. noting that the floods, which have already lasted longer than the last major floods in 1988, have been caused by a combination of heavy monsoon rain and tidal conditions in which climate change may have played a significant role,

C. deeply concerned that many more deaths are likely to result from the spread of infectious diseases caused by the flooding and that grave damage has been caused to social infrastructure which Bangladesh lacks the necessary resources to replace,

D. noting that, according to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, 30 million people have been affected by the flooding and that at least 10 million people are in need of assistance to survive,

E. responding to the call by the Bangladeshi authorities on 26 August 1998 for USD 576 million of international aid and the appeal made by the Secretary-General of the United Nations on 29 August 1998 for a swift and generous response from international donors,

F. welcoming the initial ECU 1 million humanitarian aid package allocated by the Commission on 1 September 1998 to assist victims of the flooding,

G. having regard to the catastrophic flooding along China¨s major rivers, the worst in forty years, affecting 240 million people, nearly a fifth of the population,

H. whereas these floods have resulted in several thousand deaths and left many millions of people homeless and whereas estimates of direct losses have been put at over USD 20 billion,

The European Parliament,

1. Expresses its sympathy to all victims and their families who have been struck by the tragedies in both countries;

On Bangladesh

2. Calls on the Commission to mobilise additional resources from ECHO for the immediate humanitarian needs, as well as to do all possible to speed up the contractual procedures necessary for the release and expenditure of that aid and to mobilise existing food aid in the region;

3. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to allocate resources for the enormous rehabilitation needs that Bangladesh will have once the flood waters have receded;

4. Regrets that five years after the controversy over the Flood Action Plan, no alternative policy to respond to the consequences of annual river flooding has yet been devised;

5. Urges the Commission to offer assistance to research into the underlying climate changes, which may be responsible for worsening flood conditions in the region, and into the identification of measures to alleviate the situation in the medium to long term, taking into account indigenous resources and knowledge and the additional risks which may arise from an increase of the sea-water level in the Bay of Bengal;

On China

6. Calls on the Commission to grant additional humanitarian aid in collaboration with the Chinese central and provincial authorities to the victims of the floods;

7. Welcomes the recent ban on the cutting down of trees along the Yangtze river and hopes that the Chinese government will continue and intensify its policy of discouraging forestry;

8. Calls on the Commission to assist with studies to identify the causes and possible remedies for this unprecedented disaster;

9. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the Council, the Governments of Bangladesh and China, and the Secretary-General of the United Nations.

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