KATHMANDU, 26 December 2008 (IRIN) - Local and international aid agencies are continuing to support thousands of flood-displaced families.   According to the Nepal Red Cross Society (NRCS), between mid-August and 18 September the number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) rose to just over 70,000 in the southeast, with another 172,000 in the far west and mid-west regions.   Most families in western regions have since returned home, but some 66,500 IDPs are still living in tented camps in the Saptari and Sunsari districts of eastern Nepal, said the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on 22 December.   In western regions the floods quickly receded, but the situation was worse in the east where the River Koshi (straddling the India-Nepal border) burst its banks, according to aid workers.   Thanks to swift action in flooded areas by several international aid agencies and disaster relief NGOs, IDPs were able to get support and camp settlements in the east are reasonably well-organised, according to relief workers.   "Displaced families are getting considerable support and we are now in the process of preparing for winter," Dharma Raj Pandey, deputy director of the NRCS disaster unit, told IRIN in Kathmandu.   Lack of warm clothes and proper housing usually lead to a number of deaths during the winter in the densely populated southern region of Terai.   The cold weather is also a major concern in IDP camps where aid agencies such as the NRCS, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), Save the Children Alliance (SCF), Oxfam, Caritas and Rural Reconstruction Nepal (RRN), have been distributing blankets and clothes - items which remain a top priority.   The NRCS was also planning to distribute tarpaulins, bamboo poles and floor mats to IDP camps in the east.   Aid agencies told IRIN they were still awaiting confirmation of a government returnee package, which includes a small grant, food aid, and clothes for IDPs wishing to voluntarily return to their places of origin.   Raji ethnic group   Nearly 23 Raji (ethnic group) homes in Bhuruwa village of Bardiya District, 600km southwest of Kathmandu, were completely destroyed, and residents now lived as nomads near the forest, said Samudaya Ko Lagi Ban Wataran Manch (SBM), an NGO helping landless people.   "They are in desperate need of rehabilitation and resettlement, as they have lost everything and their conditions are becoming even worse," Sher Bahadur Basnet, SBM's chairman warned. Their plight is aggravated by the lack of agricultural labour jobs during the winter.   The far west and mid-west regions are known to be impoverished with many people surviving on US$1 per day or less.   nn/ds/cb

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