Pakistan • Monsoon Floods Situation Report 16 August 2010

Pakistan • Monsoon Floods
Situation Report #13
16 August 2010

This report was issued by UNOCHA Pakistan. It covers the period from 14 to 16 August. The next report will be issued on or around18 August.

HIGHLIGHTS/KEY PRIORITIES
The United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon visited affected areas in Punjab on 15
August, pledging the support of the United Nations and stating that “these unprecedented floods
demand unprecedented assistance.”

Floodwaters continue to swell in Sindh and Balochistan; additional needs are anticipated in both
provinces.

The Pakistan Government has authorised WFP to deploy United Nations Humanitarian Air
Service (UNHAS) assets to the country.

32% of the requirements in the Pakistan Initial Floods Emergency Response Plan (PIFERP) have
now been covered.

Situation Overview
Latest Government estimates put the number of people directly affected by the floods at15.4 million, and the number continues to rise(National and Provincial Disaster Management Authorities, 16 August).Assessments to establish the degree to which affected populations are in need of immediate humanitarian assistance continue. The official death toll has risen to 1,402, with 2,024 people reported as injured. Over 893,000 houses are now reported to have been either damaged or destroyed.

As floodwaters continue to swell In Sindh and Balochistan, evacuation of populations residing in vulnerable areas is underway – most notably from Jaffarabad in Balochistan and Jacobabad in Sindh. This is likely to result in additional needs for assistance in both provinces.

Despite the best efforts of the Government and the international community to rapidly scale up assistance, the vast geographical extent of the floods and affected populations means that many people have yet to be reached with the assistance they desperately need. Clashes with police are reported to have taken place in Sukkur district of Sindh, after flood survivors blocked a highway in protest at the speed at which assistance is being provided. Looting of aid supplies has been alleged in Muzaffargarh in Punjab, one of the hardest-hit districts in the province. The support of the international donor community is essential if the response is to reach the necessary level, particularly in Sindh and Punjab.

In terms of levels of flooding on the Indus, the Sindh Irrigation Department reports “medium” levels of floods passing through the Kotri barrage in the south of the province, but that levels are “extremely high” further upriver at Sukkur and Guddu barrages. In Punjab the river is also in “extremely high” flood at Taunsa barrage. Farther north, at Kalabagh and Tarbela, flood levels were “medium” and “low” respectively (Pakistan Meteorological Department).

In Punjab, the following 11 districts have now been identified by the humanitarian community as most
affected, with those underlined considered worst affected: Rajanpur, Muzaffargarh, D.G. Khan, Leiyah, R.Y. Khan, Mianwali, Khushab, Bhakker, Multan, Bahawalpur, Jhang. The most urgent needs in the province are in food, health, WASH, shelter/NFIs and logistics. Results from WFP Vulnerability Analysis Mapping (VAM) assessments in all 11 are due in the coming days.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon visited Pakistan on 15 August, visiting a relief centre in
Multan where he met with flood victims. The Secretary-General pledged the commitment and support of the United Nations to the people of Pakistan, stating that “these unprecedented floods demand unprecedented assistance.” The Secretary-General was accompanied by the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, John Holmes.
During his visit, Mr. Ban announced a further allocation of US$10million from the Central Emergency
Response Fund (CERF), in addition to the US$16.3 million that the CERF has already contributed.

The first “Key Findings” summary of assessments was issued on 16 August. These summary reports will be updated and released twice each week – every Monday and Thursday – and are published on the response website: www.pakresponse.info. All available assessment reports continue to be uploaded to the website.

Humanitarian Needs and Response

Agriculture
Needs: Agriculture is the livelihoods mainstay of approximately 80% of the flood-affected population across the country. The loss of stored planting seeds – including wheat, the major staple food crop – has rendered affected farming households extremely vulnerable. It is critical to ensure that wheat is planted in September/October. If this season is missed, many farmers will be unable to plant wheat for 12 months, signifying the loss of two staple food harvests. The impact on agricultural livelihoods and household food security will be catastrophic, resulting in long term dependence on food assistance. Over 3.2 million hectares of standing crops, representing 16% of the total cultivatable area, have so far been damaged or lost across Balochistan, KPK, Punjab and Sindh, including maize, cotton, rice, sugar cane, fruit orchards and vegetables.

Response: The Agriculture Cluster is conducting agriculture damage and needs assessments across the country. FAO has allocated an initial USD$1.6 million from an existing EU Food Facility project to distribute agricultural inputs for planting of the Rabi season to 25,000 most vulnerable households.

Gaps and Constraints: Given the extensive damage to the means of production – land, inputs, infrastructure and livestock – funding requirements are expected to be significant in the revised PIFERP, which will be issued in one month.

Education
Needs: Latest information from the cluster indicates that 5,457 schools have been damaged across affected areas, of which 4,419 are in Punjab and Sindh. 4,911 schools have been converted into IDP shelters.

Response: Education clusters have been activated in all provinces, including AJK. 100 schools in boxes have been dispatched to Sindh (30 for Khairpur, 70 for Sukkur) in addition to 63 recreation kits (30 for Khairpur and 33 for Sukkur). An additional 93 schools in a box and 63 recreation kits will be delivered to district authorities in R.Y. Khan in Punjab. UNICEF has deployed an education in emergencies specialist to the humanitarian hub in Multan. An assessment tool for early recovery in the education sector has been finalized with support from the global education cluster.

Emergency Telecommunications
Response: The cluster is not yet operational in Multan and Sukkur, but WFP is providing ICT support to UNDAC teams and UN agencies in both locations. 3 VHF channels (Ch. 4, Ch. 7, Ch. 8) are now available for common UN/NGO use. The move of its IS base to the Serena Hotel has been completed by UNDSS. An assessment of mobile operator services in upper Swat by CARE International is ongoing. An ICT assessment of new operational areas by a WFP team is also ongoing. A UNHCR team has completed an assessment of a new repeater site in Parachinar, KPK.

Gaps and Constraints: Security remains a challenge to the ETC operation.

Food
Needs: The cluster continues to estimate that up to 6 million flood-affected people are in need of food
assistance over the next three months; though this number may yet rise as the situation in Sindh, Punjab and Balochistan continues to deteriorate. Following the completion of a WFP-led rapid food needs assessment of almost 3,000 villages across 11 districts of Punjab (for which results are currently being processed), assessment teams have now moved into Sindh where they will conduct a similar exercise over the coming days. The cluster is monitoring the situation in Sindh and Balochistan closely so as to incorporate emerging food requirements into its operational planning. It is now estimated that well over 200,000 livestock have been lost across the country. Indicative reports from Balochistan are that 15% of all livestock – potentially over a million small and large animals – have been affected. In KPK hundreds of thousands of surviving animals require urgent assistance. Field reports from Sindh highlight that people are arriving at concentration points with large numbers of animals.

Response: By 15 August, the food cluster had reached close to 740,000 beneficiaries with almost 9,000 metric tons of food. After commencing distributions in D.I. Khan on 13 August, a total of 7 districts in KPK are now receiving assistance from the cluster. Distributions in Sindh have been extended into three priority districts (Kashmore, Khairpur and Shikarpur). Activities also commenced in Punjab on 14 August, and have now reached more than 16,000 people in the priority districts of R.Y. Khan, Rajanpur, Muzzafargarh and Layyah. Following the pre-positioning of food commodities in Balochistan and AJK/GB, distributions are expected to start in Jaffarabad district on 16 August and in Neelum on 17 August. The cluster is currently providing assistance across these areas in cooperation with almost 20 NGO partners, supported by the dispatch of food commodities from the newly established warehouse facilities in Multan (Punjab) and Sukkur (Sindh). On 14 August, a further 19 metric tons of food were dispatched by helicopter to inaccessible areas in KPK. The total quantity of food delivered to Bahrain, Chuprial Swat, Shangla and Kalam now stands at almost 100 metric tons. Authorization has now been provided to WFP for the deployment of United Nations Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) assets to the country, with certain safety and language requirements adhered to. This will further increase transport capacity to hard-to-reach areas in all affected provinces, where road access remains impossible. On behalf of the food and logistics clusters, WFP is now participating in daily provincial-level coordination meetings determining the use of air assets, at the key operational hubs of Peshawar, Multan and Sukkur. These forums will be used to organize the movement of food and non-food items on behalf of the humanitarian community.

Gaps and Constraints: The Food Cluster is pre-positioning available food stocks in all provinces, in order to support planned distributions throughout the month of August. Nonetheless, the food pipeline for September is under significant pressure, and additional financing is urgently required in order for food assistance activities to continue as planned beyond the end of this month. Currently the cluster is distributing a limited food basket, consisting of immediately-available commodities. Further donor support is urgently required, in order to reach the full target beneficiary caseload with a complete planned food basket; and to avoid further loss, distress sales, and slaughter of surviving cattle. The cluster still requires a total of almost US$125 million in order to implement all planned assistance over the next three months.

Health
Needs: Latest available surveillance data (from the onset of the floods up until 12 August) indicates that the leading causes of morbidity in flood-affected communities are skin diseases (113,045cases recorded through medical consultations), acute watery diarrhea (86,671 cases) and respiratory tract infection (83,050 cases). In KPK acute diarrhea accounted for 17% of total patient visits in all age groups and is the leading cause of morbidity in flood affected districts. Acute diarrhea accounted for a smaller percentage of consultations reported in Punjab (8%) but in both Punjab and Sindh there is increasing concern about the risk of malaria, given the large amounts of stagnant water present.

Response: Essential drugs and medicines have been distributed to Ministry of Health and cluster partners, covering the needs of 1.8 million people. This includes 179 emergency health kits, 152 cholera kits, 700 vials of anti-snake venom and 1.8 million water purification tablets. International medical teams are now arriving in the country; teams have arrived from Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Jordan. Hungary, the U.S.A. and Italy are also sending teams to support the response effort. In response to acute watery diarrhea cases in Mingora (Swat, KPK), Merlin and Malteser International have been carrying out health interventions in the affected areas.

Gaps and Constraints: There is an urgent need to restore health facilities damaged or destroyed by the
floods. Results of initial assessments in 4 flood affected provinces show that out of 1,167 health facilities, 189 have either been damaged or destroyed. There will be continue to be a need to scale up provision of essential drugs to affected communities.

Logistics
Response: The Pakistan Government has authorised WFP to deploy United Nations Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) assets to the country. Negotiation of heli-lift support to D.G. Khan and Rajanpur districts in Punjab and Sindh is underway.The Pakistan Government has agreed for the cluster to join daily government coordination meetings at the provincial level. These meetings determine the placement of relief items on national air assets. The cluster will support coordination of movement of relief supplies with national authorities and provide national authorities a single point of entry. In this regard, the cluster will work in close cooperation with the OCHA civil-military liaison officer to ensure that priorities agreed upon by the humanitarian community are fully represented throughout this process.The Logistics Cluster Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for Pakistan has been published on the cluster website: (http://www.logcluster.org/ops/pak09a/standard_operating_procedures_100813).The cluster has significantly augmented staff. Information management and GIS Officers have been deployed to Islamabad and the logistics hubs in Peshawar (KPK Province),Sukkur (Sindh Province) and Multan (Punjab Province) are to be staffed with cluster officers who will provide logistics coordination, information management, storage and handling services.

Gaps and Constraints: Inputs from organisations on transportation and storage capacity are required in order to coordinate logistics cluster services. Information on access to flood affected areas remains an issue in all provinces. The cluster has published a road conditions map as of 13 August highlighting the road conditions in the KPK province; the map is available athttp://www.logcluster.org/ops/pak09a/road-conditions-map-13-august-2010.

Nutrition
Needs: Initial assessments findings, the large numbers of children and pregnant and lactating women without access to food and the rising trend of diarrhea point towards a clear risk of malnutrition among the affected population. The cluster is targeting 1,080,000 children 6-35 months and 960,000 pregnant and lactating women with blanket distribution of supplementary food (plumpy’doz), high energy biscuits and fortified blended food to prevent further deterioration in their nutritional status.

Response: Blanket distribution of supplementary food in flood affected areas has so far benefited 1,337 children(6-59months) and 1,542 pregnant and lactating women. High energy biscuits have been provided to 950 children and 88 women. Multimicronutrient sachets have been provded to 5,085 children.
Multimicronutrient sachets have been provided to 460 women. Sessions on the importance of breast-feeding have been delivered to 2,019 women.

Gaps and Constraints: Funding and quick availability of supplies are the major gaps. The cluster immediately needs cash assistance or supplies of ready to use supplementary food (plumpy’doz), high energy biscuits and fortified blended food to distribute as blanket feeding among children 6-35 months, pregnant and lactating women in the affected areas.

Shelter and NFIs
Needs: The overall need for emergency shelter support has increased rapidly, compounded by the
evacuation and migration of at-risk populations. Planning assumptions will need to be revised to reflect the continuing deterioration in the situation. Large volumes of plastic sheeting which meet minimum standards are urgently needed as locally-available tents will not cover the need. Efforts are ongoing to establish the minimum amounts that will be required.

Response: Banners on the use of plastic tarpaulins have been translated and printed for distribution.
Discussions on transitional shelters have been initiated but the focus at this point is still very much on
emergency relief. To date over 92,800 tents and 66,420 plastic sheets have been distributed, covering
126,000 households. The cluster has also distributed 200 tool kits, 137,000 blankets, 69,800 kitchen sets, 45,000 jerry cans and 40,000 buckets. 77,000 tents and 280,000 plastic sheets are in the pipeline, as well as 140,800 blankets, 66,500 kitchen sets, 142,000 jerry cans and 47,000 buckets. Daily updates on distributions to date, coverage, projected coverage and outstanding gaps in terms of shelter assistance are available on the shelter cluster website: www.shelterpakistan.org.

Gaps and Constraints: Current estimates (which are likely to be revised upwards) and pipeline information indicates coverage of 37% of the need. Gaps in coverage in Punjab and Sindh continue to be of particular concern (2% and 4% respectively). The local market will not be able to meet short-term emergency shelter needs of prioritized items (plastic sheeting, tents, blankets). There is a need to better understand availability of construction materials such as bamboo to be used as framing in combination with plastic sheeting. Local level hazard mapping of extreme risk locations is required.

WASH
Needs: A huge, and growing, number of people do not have access to safe water are in urgent need of arange of WASH support, including clean water, hygiene kits, purification materials and various WASH NFIs. Health cluster disease surveillance continues to point towards a rising trend of diarrheal disease in affected areas. As in most other sectors, WASH needs are particularly acute in Punjab and Sindh. Authorities in Sindh have indicated that at least 350,000 people in the province are concentrated in collective centres and require immediate prioritised WASH assistance.

Response: Response continues to be focused for the most part on KPK though affected populations in Sindh and Punjab are now being reached. Over 750,000 individuals (approximately 20,000 of whom are in Sindh and Punjab) are receiving tankered drinking water (5 liters per person per day). Thanks to restoration of bore holes/tube wells, another 650,000 (approximately 50,000 in Sindh and Punjab) are being supplied with drinking water. The Pakistan Council of Research on Water Resources (PCRWR) is testing, monitoring and chlorinating water sources in KPK. The cluster has received 3 million Aquatabs through the shelter cluster, which are being dispatched to southern Punjab. MSB (SIDA) is providing 3 additional water filtration units in Muzaffargarh district. Oxfam Novib, Oxfam GB and UNICEF continue to scale up activities in Sindh.

Gaps and Constraints: At present the cluster is covering just a fraction of the need in Sindh and Punjab. In KPK, quantities of tankered water being provided are below SPHERE standards and sufficient for drinking purposes only. Though WASH coordination structures are in place in both, significant financial and in-kind support from the donor community is critical if interventions are to be scaled up as the worsening situation demands.

Coordination

A second General Coordination Meeting (GCM) will be held in the Humanitarian Coordination Centre in the Serena Hotel, Islamabad, at 10.30 a.m. on Tuesday 17 August.

Outside Islamabad, humanitarian coordination centres (HCCs) continue to operate in Peshawar (covering KPK), Multan (covering Punjab) and Sukkur (covering Sindh).Contact details of coordination focal points in each are below. Further information is available on the response website: http://www.pakresponse.info/

Source: http://insafrelief.blogspot.com/2010/08/pakistan-monsoon-floods-situation_18.html