Cisco Donates To Areas Hit By Asian Floods

Networking giant Cisco has donated remote healthcare infrastructure and housing to areas of India hit by flooding.

As well as donating around 500 houses as part of a public-private partnership with the local government in Karnataka, South West India, Cisco is providing remote healthcare and education services to flood-affected villages.

“The initial pilot services are now operational and have accelerated access to affordable, high-quality health care by connecting patients in Raichur remotely with medical providers in cities in a convenient and efficient way,” Cisco said in a statement.

Villages in India’s Karnataka and Andhra regions were hit by flooding in October 2009 with around 200 people killed and thousands affected.

Remote Health Care

The overall scheme backed by Cisco, known as Project Samudaya, aims to construct 3570 houses, two schools, and one primary health care centre in the five flood-hit villages. Cisco claims it is on course to complete the project within two years.

“Our vision is to improve the quality of life in these communities by using technology to provide access to affordable healthcare and education services. Cisco stays committed in its efforts to support the rehabilitation of the flood affected areas of Raichur and help build a 21st century sustainable and stronger community” said Wim Elfrink, chief globalisation officer and executive vice president, Cisco Services.

Cisco has responded to other humanitarian disasters in the past including supporting the victims of the earthquake in Sichuan, China in 2008, and those affected by Hurricane Katrina in the United States in 2005 and the Indian Ocean Tsunami in 2004.

Technology experts from the UN International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and charity Telecoms Sans Frontieres announced earlier this month that it is providing emergency telecoms services to the victims of recent flooding in Pakistan. The UN ITU said that it is working with the government of Pakistan towards repairing the country’s telecommunication infrastructure, which the organisation said has been “rendered inoperative” in many parts of the country.

Pakistan Floods

According to UN officials, the Pakistan floods cover an area the size of England with up to 20 million people affected. At least 1,600 people have been killed, with health officials warning the toll could rise as water-borne diseases spread, TSF reported.

Telecoms Sans Frontieres (TSF) deployed to Haiti in January to respond the impact of the earthquake in the country. The charity specialises in setting up communications infrastructure to allow aid-agencies to communicate on the ground more effectively.

In June, Satellite provider Inmarsat was awarded the UK’s most prestigious prize for engineering innovation, thanks in part to its role in providing communications to disaster zones around the world.