"UNEP has mobilized a million dollars to respond to the immediate needs identified by the region's governments," UNEP said.

"Our support echoes directly the requests from national authorities for environmental experts to assess and mitigate urgent problems. Therefore we are sending experts to work with the governments and the UN country teams," UNEP Executive Director Klaus Toepfer said in the statement.

The death toll has climbed to over 118,000 across the Indian Ocean since Sunday, and there is chaos on the shorelines of several Asian nations where disease threatens to wipe out weakened survivors.

"While the focus is to save lives and fight diseases, it is also important to address underlying risks, such as solid and liquid waste, industrial chemicals, sewage treatment and the salinization of drinking water," Toepfer added.

"The damage to ports and industrial infrastructure may be severe, with untold risks to human health. Likewise, revitalizing local communities and their livelihoods will require rehabilitating and protecting vital natural ecosystems, in particular mangrove forests and coral reefs," he concluded.

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