Operation Falah Watra (Suriname)
- Duration
- 15 May 2006 - 25 May 2006
- Military personnel
- 17
- Fatalities
- none
- Decorations
- none
In the 1st week of May 2006, Suriname was plagued by heavy rainfall. This led to a rise in water levels, subsequently causing large-scale flooding. The rising waters flooded over 120 villages in the upper reaches of the Suriname and Maroni rivers.
Large parts of 70 of these villages were submerged, with an estimated 20.000 to 25.000 people losing their houses to the floodwaters. The Surinamese authorities began a relief operation in cooperation with the United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination Team (UNDAC).
The operation was given the name Falah Watra, after 1 of the rivers in the affected area. HNLMS Rotterdam, the Royal Netherlands Navy’s amphibian transport ship, was active in the disaster area between 15 and 25 May 2006.