Ref: OCHA/GVA - 2005/0058
OCHA Situation Report No. 33
Earthquake and Tsunami
Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Maldives, & Somalia
Main Highlights
From 27 March to 27 April, the Government of Indonesia will
gather information on the future plans and activities of
organizations operating in NAD in order to determine how they
can best meet the reconstruction needs of the province. In Sri
Lanka, a new radio station covering the tsunami affected
communities has been launched. In the Maldives, delegates to
the 18 March ADB-sponsored “High-level Conference on
Reconstruction of countries devastated by the December 2004
tsunami disaster” backed a mechanism that would allow
efficient and transparent tracking of the billions of dollars
in assistance planned. In Somalia, the main operational
challenge remains access to towns and settlements on the
coastal area.
Financial Highlights
As of 22 March, 58 governments have pledged, committed or
contributed (see definitions below) to the Flash Appeal. Out
of US$873 million pledged to the FA by official donors, US$558
million has been contributed. A further US$195 million has
been committed. (558 + 195 = 753, meaning that 86% of official
FA pledges have been converted into commitments or
contributions.) A balance of US$118 million remains as
uncommitted governmental pledges towards the Flash Appeal, not
yet received by any UN agency or NGO.
Counting these official commitments and contributions, plus
private donations applied to Flash Appeal projects, the Appeal
stands 84% funded.
REGIONAL
A Mid-Term Review (MTR) of the Flash Appeal will be issued
on 6 April. In the MTR, UN Country Teams and HQs will assess
the current humanitarian situation, update the common
humanitarian action plan, report on project implementation
thus far, and update the projects, budgets, funding
requirements, and allocations of funds received to date.
Mr. Erskine Bowles, the UN Deputy Special Envoy for Tsunami
Reconstruction, is currently visiting the tsunami-affected
region on behalf of former President Bill Clinton, the UN
Special Envoy for Tsunami Reconstruction.
INDONESIA
I. Situation
On 22 March BAKORNAS reported that 126,602 bodies have been
buried, 93,638 people are missing and 514,150 are displaced in
20 districts/cities in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam Province (NAD).
The large increase in the reported number of displaced people
over the last week is attributed to the late reporting of some
sub-districts of NAD. There are concerns about duplicate
registration of displaced persons given the high mobility of
the population. Meanwhile in North Sumatra Province, the
numbers of people buried, missing, and displaced remain at
130, 24 and 19,620 respectively.
Mr. Bowles will travels to Indonesia from 23-25 March.
During his visit, Mr. Bowles will discuss the reconstruction
effort with Indonesian Ministers and UN officials, and will
focus on how work may permanently improve the lives of the
Acehnese.
The Government of the Republic of Indonesia (GoRI) issued a
press release on 22 March confirming that it continues to hold
open the door for foreign humanitarian organizations and
agencies to participate in the reconstruction and
rehabilitation process in NAD. From 27 March to 27 April, the
government will gather information on the future plans and
activities of organizations operating in NAD in order to
determine how they can best meet the reconstruction needs of
the province. Organizations wishing to continue operations in
the area have been requested to provide information on their
planned activities and funding sources prior to 27 April. The
government does not intend to stop or limit the activities of
legitimate humanitarian organizations, particularly those
associated with the United Nations.
The UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination
Against Women has expressed concern about the gender-specific
needs and vulnerability of women and girls. The aid community
in NAD is addressing this issue through its sectoral working
group on gender, in cooperation with the Bureau of Empowerment
of Women within the Provincial Government. Gender issues have
also been addressed during the development of the
Government’s Master Plan or blueprint on the recovery and
reconstruction of NAD.
II. Overview of Activities
While relief efforts are ongoing in NAD, UN agencies and
NGOs are increasingly focusing on developing longer-term
strategies to address recovery and reconstruction,
particularly in regards to infrastructure and capacity
building of local and provincial institutions.
UNICEF reports a growing number of malaria cases, most
likely due to improved and increased testing for malaria by a
much broader array of partners. The Provincial Health Office (PHO),
WHO and UNICEF are working together to expand malaria control
activities. The measles campaign was completed in NAD with
some 37,630 children between the ages of 6 months and 15 years
immunized, reaching 83% of the target population. Campaign
activities continue in other districts, with the PHO reporting
238,384 children vaccinated, 20% of the estimated target
population.
To date, WFP has dispatched over 21,000 MT of food from
Medan and Jakarta, including provisions for a one-month
pre-positioning of stock. Approximately 9,400 MT of food
commodities including rice, fortified noodles and biscuits,
canned fish and vegetable oil will be distributed throughout
18 districts in NAD and North Sumatra Province with a current
beneficiary group of 590,570 (Total Assessed Caseload:
790,000). The government has requested that WFP continue food
distribution into the recovery and reconstruction phase.
III. Main Challenges
As requested by the Ministry of Health, IOM has agreed to
provide up to 51 satellite heath centres (SHC) at temporary
shelter sites across NAD, as well as expertise in the
rehabilitation and reconstruction of health facilities in four
sub-districts in Aceh Barat and Nagan Raya. In the past week,
IOM has broken ground on three sites for the SHCs in Lambaro
Siron, Darussalam and Nusa. It takes approximately three weeks
to build a SHC.
In response to lessons learned in Banda Aceh and Aceh Besar
districts regarding the poor water and sanitation conditions
in Temporary Living Centres (TLCs), a joint assessment of five
TLCs in Meulaboh/Aceh Barat was conducted on 15 March by OCHA,
WHO, UNICEF and three NGOs (Oxfam, Solidarité, and the
Norwegian Church Aid). Food and potable water were delivered
to the TLCs although beneficiaries noted a lack of food
diversity and an irregular water supply. There is still an
urgent need for basic equipment (kitchen sets, sleeping mats,
mosquito nets, etc.). Proper waste management as well as
health awareness campaigns are also needed. Some TLCs are
isolated and far from basic services such as schooling,
hospitals, and the labour market, thus requiring transport
services. In Calang/Aceh Jaya, initial discussions with
community members have indicated that there are divisions
about the willingness to relocate to TLCs. OCHA will discuss
the issue with community leaders.
IV. Link Between Emergency Activities and Livelihood
Recovery
In order to meet the immediate needs of farmers, as well as
their longer-term livelihoods, FAO has procured various tools,
seeds and fertilizers as well as some 500 hand tractors.
Considering the large demand for wood in the reconstruction
process, FAO has proposed assisting the Forestry Department to
develop the local logging and wood processing industry in a
manner that respects both the logging moratorium in NAD and
international environmental standards and regulations.
In Calang, WFP and FAO conducted a joint food and crop
assessment. In the immediate term the mission intends to
design targeted food-for-work programmes, and assess the
feasibility of supporting agriculture and fisheries start up
programmes.
The number of UNDP’s cash-for-work programmes is
increasing. The hospital cleaning project will scale-up from
employing 70 women to a planned 200 women. In Calang, Oxfam is
now implementing cash-for-work programmes for land clearance
in Kreung Sabee, employing an additional 1,500 people.
V. Useful Websites
Government:
www.bakornaspbp.go.id (National Coordination Board for
Natural Disaster Management)
www.depsos.go.id (Department of Social Affairs)
www.depkes.go.id (Department of Health) www.lin.go.id
(National Information Board-Ministry of Information and
Communication) www.info-ri.com (Information-Republic
Indonesia)
Other:
www. coe-dmha.org/tsunami.htm (daily chronology of key
events)
www.apan-info.net - tsunami page (Pacific Command)
www.humanitarianinfo.org - Humanitarian Information Centre
(HIC)
SRI LANKA
I. Situation
Mr. Bowles visited Sri Lanka from 21 to 22 March. During
his stay in Colombo, Mr. Bowles held meetings with a number of
government officials, the UN Country Team, civil society, the
diplomatic and donor community and the local media. Mr. Bowles
also visited Galle District to see, amongst others, a medical
clinic and temporary shelter and damaged homes in the process
of being rehabilitated.
The Registration General Department in Jaffna has conducted
a mobile registration service for tsunami-affected areas.
Identity cards were issued to 3,451 people who lost their IDs
in the destruction.
NGOs have reported that bodies are still being discovered
in the Hikkaduwa Division. The American Red Cross has provided
additional body bags at the request of the Galle District
authorities.
A new radio station, Sayura FM, has been established in
Hambantota District to reach tsunami-affected communities.
II. Overview of activities
The government’s Transitional Accommodation Project (TAP)
(in cooperation with UNHCR and other agencies) announced the
near completion of 10,000 transitional housing units in ten
affected districts. Four thousand transitional housing units
have already been completed, whilst another 20,000
transitional housing units are slated for completion in the
coming months.
The Sri Lanka Red Cross has pledged to construct 15,000
houses in tsunami ravaged areas. The programme will also
include the rehabilitation of 32 government hospitals affected
by the tsunami.
A two-day workshop funded by WHO was recently held in
Jaffna by the Deputy Provincial Director for Health Services (DPDHS)
to discuss disease surveillance and prevention.
The WFP school feeding in Ampara is targeting 47 schools
with an approximate student population of 10,000. UNICEF will
support WFP in the implementation of its supplementary
school-feeding programme for children 5 to14 years old through
a number of complementary activities including hygiene
promotion. WFP continues to support 128,000 beneficiaries in
the Galle District where 24 four shelter camps are still
operating. Given the approaching monsoon, improving drainage,
and upgrading or replacing inadequate tents is critically
needed in many of the camps. UNICEF zone offices in the East
report a significantly improved water and sanitation
situation. In Ampara, 33 water bowsers serve an IDP population
of 23,000 and a community population of 7,000 with at least 15
litres of water per person per day. UNICEF has constructed
over 100 additional temporary toilets over the past six weeks
and is to soon construct an additional 42 for transitional
shelters. The IDP population in the 57 IDP camps in the
district now have access to toilet facilities. In Batticaloa,
a total of 132 temporary toilets have been constructed and six
wells repaired.
In Jaffna, a four-day psychosocial course trained 20
psycho-social trainers from SewaLanka.
III. Link between Emergency Activities and Livelihood
Recovery
IOM reports that the transitional accommodation
construction phase is gearing up in several districts
including Batticaloa. Of the 18 transitional shelters planned
for Jaffna District, only one has been completed. The
remaining 17 are due to be finished in the coming weeks. In a
number of districts, IDPs are moving from temporary camps to
newly constructed transitional shelters.
An IOM psychosocial programme in Matara District is
attempting to create self-sustaining participatory involvement
of people living in IDP camps. The programme assists IDPs in
reestablishing a sense of normality by introducing a range of
activities in the form of sports games, performing and visual
art activities, livelihood projects and community events that
stimulate the community.
UNICEF has already constructed 82 school shelters and are
planning to construct an additional 227. The Bank of Ceylon in
the Galle District announced the Susahana Loan Scheme to
address the needs of small-scale entrepreneurs who lost
essential equipment during the tsunami.
The Humanitarian Information Centre (HIC) is now providing
district level meeting schedules and contact lists for Galle,
Matara, Hambantota, Jaffna and Ampara. District level data for
its "who does what where" database is also being
gleaned while HIC collaborates with the Consortium of
Humanitarian Agencies (CHA) to standardize the data for the
relief and recovery community.
IV. Useful Websites
Humanitarian Information Centre: www.humanitarianinfo.org/srilanka
UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA):
www.ochaonline.org
Sri Lankan Department of Census and Statistics:
www.statistics.gov.lk/Tsunami/index.htm
Government of Sri Lanka: www.priu.gov.lk
Recoverlanka: www.recoverlanka.net
Geolanka: www.geolanka.net
Sir Lankan Taskforce for Rebuilding the Nation (TAFREN):
www.tafren.gov.lk
For access to additional informative web links: http://www.humanitarianinfo.org/srilanka/infocentre/links/links.asp
MALDIVES
I. Situation
Participants at the Maldives Development Partners’
Meeting on 17 March expressed a firm support for a short and
medium-term post-tsunami recovery plan for the Maldives. Most
of the funding requested under the Flash Appeal has been met.
The Government of Maldives intend to appeal for additional
funding to cover a public financing gap of US$235.8 million.
Additionally, the World Bank approved a total US$ 14 million
for the “Maldives Post-Tsunami Emergency Relief and
Reconstruction Project.” The project will assist the
government’s efforts to provide social services, restore
livelihoods and continue to build the capacity to implement
the reconstruction and rehabilitation programme.
Delegates to the 18 March Asian Development Bank (ADB)
sponsored high-level conference on reconstruction of countries
devastated by the December 2004 tsunami disaster backed a
mechanism that would allow efficient and transparent tracking
of the billions of dollars in assistance planned. UNDP and ADB
will work together to develop a system to allow data from
country level matrices to be absorbed into a consolidated
regional tracking mechanism. The database will capture all
forms of assistance including official development assistance,
NGOs, and private sector support.
Mr. Erskine Bowles visited the Maldives from 19 to 21 March
as part of a regional tour to solicit ideas on how the Office
of the Special Envoy can best assist in the recovery effort.
II. Overview of Activities
Five mobile reverse osmosis (RO) desalination units have
been delivered and installed on five islands covering two
atolls. An additional 5 units will shuttle between the various
atolls as roaming water bowsers serving the most isolated and
remote islands currently suffering from water shortages. It is
expected that more than 50 islands will receive sufficient
drinking water in this way. Following this, 10 larger RO units
will provide training for operation and maintenance. In total,
UNICEF will supply 23 plants covering 12 of the 25 atolls.
Planning and contracting for the distribution of rainwater
harvesting tanks has been finalized for the delivery of 2,500
tanks to 18 atolls.
Soil salinity and water resources experts provided by FAO
completed an assessment mission to design a capacity building
programme to strengthen the skills of staff of the Ministry of
Fisheries, Agriculture and Marine Resources. FAO fielded a
boat-building engineer to assist the government for the
construction of small boats and repairs to damaged boats. In
additional, vegetable seeds sufficient for 10 islands were
delivered.
For the vulnerable group-feeding programme during the
period 24 February to 21 March, WFP borrowed government stocks
to distribute 94 MT of rice and 25 MT of sugar.
III. Main Challenges
UNICEF undertook a mission to Shaviyani island (Komandoo
atoll) to conduct five separate psychosocial workshops for
parents, health workers, secondary schools boys and girls as
well as for teachers. The team found that even within the
moderately affected populations, many children and adults
alike still struggle with the psychological impact of the
disaster. Access to ongoing psychological support is
considered essential and further support is urgently required.
WHO, in collaboration with the Department of Public Health
(DPH), is monitoring reported cases of measles. No other major
outbreaks have been reported recently.
Providing psychosocial support to affected communities
remains a priority with partners agreeing upon a three-tier
approach. At the primary level, the American Red Cross and the
Ministry of Gender will train community members and teachers
in all the atolls; at the secondary level, UNFPA will conduct
a more focused training for the managers of the IDP camps,
community leaders, the media and health care workers. At the
central level, WHO will provide technical and clinical
training and referral services.
UNFPA conducted a second consultative workshop on
reproductive health and psychosocial support with
representatives from government ministries and WHO. Displaced
persons feel increasingly isolated and neglected, and in some
cases feel that they are being excluded from income-generating
activities and information sharing.
IV. Link between Emergency Activities and Livelihood
Recovery
Progress has been made in terms of shelter construction
following the recruitment of four contractors by UNDP to
undertake technical assessments in 36 islands. Assessments are
ongoing, and an outline of construction needs will be ready by
2 April 2005. In the meantime, UNDP has advertised to identify
local contractors for undertaking construction and repair work
on the sites. UNDP is also working closely with OCHA on
disaster risk management.
V. Useful Websites
United Nations Maldives Disaster Relief Taskforce: http://202.1.199.67
Maldives National Disaster Management Centre: http://www.tsunamimaldives.mv
VI. Other Information
Field office contact Aishath Jeelaan, Communications
Officer, United Nations Resident Coordinator System, Tel:
(960) 324501 ext. 227, mob: (960) 787 987.
SOMALIA
I. Overview of Activities
On the occasion of the 8 March visit of the inter-agency
assessment mission team leaders to Puntland to present the
mission report to the authorities, OCHA appealed to the newly
elected Government to take a more proactive role in the
coordination of humanitarian operations. The Government
responded by setting up the Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster
Management Agency (HADMA), the head of which will now chair
coordination meetings. The first meeting with the head of
HADMA was held on 22 March 2005. Agencies mapped humanitarian
response activities in all tsunami-affected areas by sector as
well as agency. The next meeting will be held in two weeks
time (5 April). Future meetings will take place on a monthly
basis.
II. Main challenges and response
Coordination meetings are held in Garowe, for which some
agencies travel very long distances to attend. Rotation of
meeting venues is under consideration.
The main operational challenge remains access to towns and
settlements on the coastal area. Plans are underway to
reconstruct roads but this will take time.
III. Link between emergency activities and livelihood
recovery
Some recovery activities have commenced. Following the
release of the inter-agency mission report in Nairobi, the
SACB sectoral committees are developing comprehensive response
plans. At the field level in Puntland, the coordination of
such response activities will be facilitated by the new HADMA,
with assistance from OCHA.
For more information:
Telephone: +41-22-917 12 34
Fax: +41-22-917 00 23/06 28
E-mail: ochagva@un.org
In case of emergency only: Tel. +41-22-917 20 10
Desk Officers:
Ms. Marie Spaak/Ms. Hannah Entwisle
Direct Tel. 41-22-917 1728/1155
Press contact:
(GVA) Ms. Elisabeth Byrs, direct Tel. ++41-22-917 26 53
(N.Y.) Ms. Stephanie Bunker, direct Tel. +1-917 367 51 26
(N.Y.) Mr. Brian Grogan, direct Tel. +1-212-963 11 43
SOMALI
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