Google pledges $1 million to flood affected areas in India, Nepal and Bangladesh, activates SOS alerts

Google on Thursday pledged $1 million relief to flood-hit areas of India, Nepal, and Bangladesh.

“We are committing $1 million from Google.org and Google employees to Goonj and Save the Children for their relief efforts,” Rajan Anandan, Vice-President, South East Asia and India, wrote in a blog post.

Save the Children is working in the flood-affected areas of the three countries and aims to reach a total of 1,60,000 people. The organisation is providing food and livelihood support, temporary shelter materials, hygiene items and water source restoration to the affected people.

Children are the most vulnerable in situations like these. Save the Children is focused on setting up child-friendly spaces where children can gain access to educational materials and playtime. Meanwhile, Goonj, an NGO, aims to reach 75,000 affected families across nine states of rural India. The efforts include providing families with basic needs kits such as food, mats, blankets, and hygiene items.

They are also aiming to help rebuild and revive community structures like roads, bridges and schools in the flood-hit areas.

Meanwhile, Google’s Crisis Response team has activated “SOS Alerts” for the flooding in India, Bangladesh and Nepal. Six states in India, including Assam and Bihar, are reeling under floods. Mumbai also received very heavy rains on Tuesday.

The flood threat perception has been set high for parts of Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Madhya Pradesh, as the reservoirs and dams on rivers Mahi, Sabarmati, Banas and their tributaries are already holding 90 to 94 per cent of their capacity.