OCHA Situation Report No. 4 Afghanistan - Drought 19 July 2000
Central and South Asia are currently suffering from severe drought. The countries most affected are Afghanistan, India, Iran, Pakistan, and Tajikistan. The disaster has also spread over Mongolia, northern and western China, Iraq, Syria and Jordan. Significant losses of livestock and crops, and rapid deterioration of health and sanitary conditions have already been reported and the prospect of large population displacements has been raised. Unfortunately the deteriorating situation has received little international attention. Immediate donor response will be critical to assist the people most seriously affected. As part of the efforts to respond to the crisis in a coordinated manner, the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) has formed a Drought Task Force, which is based in Geneva and is coordinated by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). In the first meeting of the Task Force on 13 July 2000 it has been agreed, among others, that primary focus should be given to Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, and Tajikistan. I. SITUATION 1. The cumulative effects of successive droughts in Afghanistan have progressively worsened since November 1999. The winter 1999/2000 witnessed much less snowfall than 1998/99, which was already considered a drought year. The worst drought since 1971 has affected the entire country with the provinces of Herat, Farah, Badghis (west), Kandahar, Helmand, Zabul, Nimroz, Urozgan (south-west), Paktia, Paktita, Khost, Ghazni (south), Baghlan, Kunduz, Takhar and Badakhshan (north-east) being the most severely affected. 2. The combination of war, drought and displacement is likely to take a terrible toll on Afghans and their livelihoods in the coming months. Population movements of a significant nature cannot be ruled out, including movement across international borders. This could add an additional dimension of risk in an already fragile region. 3. While the initial impact of the drought has been largely economic, the drought conditions are now beginning to take their toll on the health and nutrition of Afghans. The availability of potable water is also becoming a significant issue in urban and rural areas. Increased costs of limited food stocks in certain areas are forcing people to survive on famine foods. There have been reports of famine related deaths in Hazarajat where access to affected populations remains constrained by issues of security related to the ongoing conflict. 4. It is estimated that 2.5 million rain-fed wheat farmers and 80,000 livestock owners (Kochis) have been affected. It is predicted that between now and June 2001, at least half of the population of Afghanistan may be affected by drought. Three to four million people may be severely affected with another 8-12 million moderately affected. According to FAO, crop production this year is approximately 56% of last year's yield. II. REQUIREMENTS 5. On 6 June 2000 the Office of the UN Coordinator for Afghanistan in close collaboration with UN agencies and national and international NGOs disseminated a "Strategy of the Assistance Community in Response to the Drought in Afghanistan" seeking USD 67 million. The overall goal of the strategy is to stabilize communities in the places where they live and support existing coping mechanisms. Funding is sought for the following areas of intervention: food security (USD 48 million), provision of potable water and sanitation (USD 2.4 million), protection of livelihoods (USD 12.8 million), preventive health (USD 113,000), contingency planning (USD 2.7 million) co-ordination, monitoring and evaluation (USD 700,000). 6. WFP plans to assist 1.6 million severely drought affected people through an emergency operation which was approved on 13 July. The operation is expected to provide 117,890 tons of food aid to the affected population over the coming 12 months, at a total cost of USD 55.4 million (revision of the USD 48 million indicated in the UN Appeal of 6 June). Meanwhile the ongoing Protracted Relief and Recovery Operation will assist a further 1.5 million highly vulnerable people, whose lives have been made even more difficult by the drought. III. INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE 7. So far, the Government of Canada, Germany, Japan, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States of America and the European Commission pledged/contributed USD 39,048,446 (58 percent) to the Appeal of USD 67 million. Donors who have already committed to provide financial assistance are urgently requested to make their payments. 8. The United Nations Coordinator for Afghanistan chairs the Drought Task Force which meets on a weekly basis in Islamabad and is responsible for overseeing the strategy of the assistance community. The Task Force was established in mid March and is made up of representatives of the UN agencies and national and international NGOs. The Task Force informs and is informed by comparable coordination groups in seven regions in Afghanistan. 9. UNCHS, UNICEF and NGO partners, have made interventions to improve the quality and quantity of potable water. Water conservation measures are being encouraged and to this end a public information campaign to preserve water and to protect water sources is being conducted across the country. Critical interventions to protect livelihoods now and in the future include the provision of emergency feed to livestock, extended vaccination of livestock and the procurement and stocking of seeds and fertilizers. To date donor support for these activities has been poor raising concerns that the effects of the drought will be felt well into next year. With previously available funds, FAO and UNOPS have been able to distribute 22,000 molasses blocks to livestock owners. 10. The Strategy Document launched on 6 June is available at the Office of the UN Coordinator for Afghanistan's Website (http://www.pcpafg.org) as well as at the OCHA Internet Website (http://www.reliefweb.int) For additional information, please contact the Office of the United Nations Coordinator for Afghanistan, Tel. + 92 51 211 451, Fax + 92 51 211 450, Pacific Desk of the OCHA Disaster Response Branch. Telephone: +41-22-917 12 34 Fax: +41-22-917 00 23 In case of emergency only: Tel. +41-22-917 20 10 Desk Officers: Ms. S. Metzner-Strack / Mr. R. Mueller / Mr. S. Matsuka Direct Tel. +41-22-917 21 44 / 31 31 / 40 34 Press contact: (in GVA) Mr. Donato Kiniger-Passigli, direct Tel. +41-22-917 26 53 (in NY) Ms. Phyllis Lee, direct Tel. +1-212-963 48 32 distributed by - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Volunteers in Technical Assistance Disaster Information Center lists: www.vita.org/listsub.htm sitreps nat-dsr web: www.vita.org fireline - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -