SAPTARI, 23 September 2008 (IRIN) - Thousands of livestock belonging to survivors of last month's devastating flood in eastern Nepal are at risk, NGOs warned.

Of the 60,000 people displaced in Nepal's eastern Sunsari and Saptari districts, some 23,000 are living in camps in Saptari, according to the Nepal Red Cross Society (NRCS).

Another 27,000 are living in camps and shelters in Sunsari, with the rest staying with relatives in Nepal or neighbouring India.

Most of the displaced are farmers and land labourers, making up more than 90 percent of those affected, according to NGOs.

About 5,500 hectares of cultivated land was damaged when the Koshi River – Nepal's largest – burst its banks on 18 August, the Ministry of Home Affairs reported, destroying livestock, livelihoods, income generation and other productive opportunities for area residents.

Most of the displaced arrived in the camps and shelters with their livestock, mostly goats and cattle, in tow, the government-run District Livestock Service Office (DLSO), the only agency to focus on the animals, reported.

Thousands of animals neglected

More than 40,000 livestock were affected by the floods, the government says, including 20,000 displaced from Sunsari, 10,000 from Bihar in India, as well as 10,000 more from local areas of Saptari.

"Neglect of the animals could lead to high mortality and the impact will cause health risks for humans – both displaced and among the local population," noted Kashi Nath Yadav, the DLSO's chief of Saptari, about 300km southeast of Kathmandu.

Scores of animals died or were left injured in the flood waters. More than 2,000 animals in the camps have died - that number is expected to grow in the coming days, according to the DLSO.

Of the nearly 600 animals injured in the floods, many have developed skin diseases after being in the water for more than 10 days, the government office said.

Yet despite these developments, just less than half of all livestock in the camps has been properly vaccinated due to a lack of medicine, fuelling concern about a possible outbreak of foot and mouth disease (FMD).

The highly contagious and infectious animal disease that normally occurs during hot and humid conditions every monsoon gets worse in flood conditions, Yadav said.

To date, 150 cases of FMD have been reported – a number that could rise exponentially unless immediate action is taken, animal health specialists warned.

Humans first

But with humanitarian agencies still struggling to assist the tens of thousands of people displaced, it is unlikely the animals, on which so many depend for their livelihoods, will get the assistance they need soon.

"Our first priority in our emergency assistance is to help the displaced families and relocate them to a permanent settlement," explained Sanjeev Kumar Kafley, the NRCS's director of disaster management.

Livestock should be included in the recovery programme as doing so now would place an additional burden on aid agencies, he said.

Until that happens, however, scores of animals will likely die.

Many farmers in the camps are already struggling to feed their animals, citing an acute shortage of fodder and animal feed.

"If livestock is not prioritised, thousands of farmers will suffer further from the loss of their animals, which is also their only means of livelihood," Yadav stressed.

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