India Partners develop flood prevention system in AP

India Partners and Engineering Ministries International (EMI) are developing a flood prevention system for a river island in Andhra Pradesh, India to protect against reoccurring floods and land erosion that threaten the community's livelihood.

The two organizations will send a joint team to the project site to survey the land and develop anti-erosion plans, such as constructing a sea wall or levee system.

India Partners has been serving the island and its residents for the last 12 years by providing livestock for food and income generation, a community center complete with a primary school and job training facility, as well as microloans for soil restoration, fishing boats and nets.

However, cyclones, monsoons and massive floods are destroying the island's livestock, homes, fishing boats and crops. In addition, lives have been lost and the island is eroding away.

Through its partnership with EMI, India Partners intends to provide future solutions for flooding and erosion that plague the island. The strategy is to use local, readily available materials to design a system that can be easily replicated by villagers on neighboring islands.

"The islanders are cut-off from others, the poorest of the poor, and have no other place to go," said Brent Hample, President of India Partners. "This flood prevention system is not only crucial to sustain their community's existence, but also to prevent deaths and raise their quality of life."

India Partners is a US Christian development and relief organization committed to supporting self-help ministry projects in India. It works alongside a broad group of indigenous Christian grassroots agencies in India focused on alleviating poverty and injustice.