Dec 2, 2008, 15:48 GMT
Brussels - The executive arm of the European Union, the European Commission, said Tuesday it was providing 9 million euros (11.4 million dollars) in funds to help Zimbabwe deal with a cholera outbreak that has claimed nearly 500 lives so far.
Officials in Brussels said the money would be given to UN and non-governmental agencies working in Zimbabwe to support water, sanitation and hygiene programmes, epidemic response and the provision of essential drugs.
'I'm shocked at the deteriorating humanitarian crisis in Zimbabwe and call upon the authorities there to respond quickly to this cholera outbreak by allowing full assistance from international humanitarians and regional partners,' said Louis Michel, the EU commissioner responsible for the bloc's humanitarian aid.
The European Commission says it is the main donor to the vulnerable populations of Zimbabwe, having provided more than 500 million euros in direct support to the population since 2002.
On Monday, authorities in Zimbabwe shut down water supplies for Harare's estimated 2 million residents because purification chemicals had run out.
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