Diarrhoea kills 150 in flood-hit Ethiopia

ADDIS ABABA, Aug 21 (Reuters) Diarrhoea has killed 150 people and infected nearly 12,000 in flood-ravaged Ethiopia, the U N said today, as aid agencies and governments struggled to deliver food and supplies to tens of thousands left homeless.

Flash floods that began swamping villages and towns earlier this month have already killed some 900 people and displaced about 48,000 more, many of whom are at risk from water-borne diseases, including acute diarrhoea and cholera.

''Despite collaborated efforts, containment of the disease has not been successful with the disease spreading at an alarming rate,'' the United Nations' Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a report.

In badly hit Dire Dawa town, about 525 km east of the capital Addis Ababa, the U S Agency for International Development (USAID) said it had delivered 85,000 dollars worth of supplies including food, mattresses and water treatment kits.

''Among the most pressing humanitarian needs are the provision of shelter and sanitation services for 6,000 newly homeless individuals (in Dire Dawa),'' USAID mission director Glenn Anders said in a statement.

HAMPERED RELIEF EFFORTS The African Union, which is based in Addis, pledged to givethe Ethiopian government 100,000 dollar to help relief efforts, which are being hampered by the continuing rainfall and poor access to the remote flooded areas.

Ethiopia's state news agency ENA also said Libya had delivered canned food, blankets and tents and would continue sending aid to the Horn of Africa nation this week.

Ethiopians have begun a national collection drive, with everyone from civil servants to school children contributing.

The government has relocated 13,000 people in the northern Gondar region, ENA reported, and another 2,000 are being moved from around the overflowing Omo river in the south.

A group of U S soldiers based in nearby Djibouti has also arrived in Dire Dawa, bringing 52 tents and planning to dig latrines for the 6,000 homeless currently sheltering in schools.

Ethiopia appealed for aid last week and has warned of more flooding in areas around the coffee-growing country.

Floods typically occur in its lowlands after heavy rains in the June-September rainy season drench the highlands.

REUTERS MS RN2253