Situation Overview: Winter Assessment of Government-Controlled Areas Within 5Km of the Line of Contact Ukraine, February 2018
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Situation Overview: Winter Assessment of Government-Controlled Areas within 5km of the Line of Contact Ukraine, February 2018 Introduction & Key Findings Population & Displacement Map 1: Assessed Settlements Shchastia The area along the LoC has a significant Trokhizbenka Artema Eastern Ukraine experiences harsh winters population of vulnerable groups including Krymske Petropavlivka Nyzhnoteple Staryi Aidar lasting from November to March, with Oriikhove Nyzhnie Kriakivka Stanytsia pensioners, internally displaced persons (IDPs) ² Peredilske Luhanska temperatures reaching below -20 degrees Donetsk GCA Zolote Hirske Makarove and returnees. This is as a result of the out- Komyshuvakha Valluiiske Celsius. Such extreme conditions impact migration of less vulnerable people with the Kateryniivka the humanitarian needs of populations living Popasna means and ability to live and work elsewhere. Vilkhove Myronivskyi Novozvanivka in conflict-affected areas due to increased Half of the displaced persons in the area along Svitlodarsk difficulty accessing services, damage to Semyhiria Troiitske the line of contact arrived in 2014, and have no Novoluhanske Kodema critical infrastructure affecting water and Ozarianivka plans to return to their area of origin (AoO) in Druzhba heating systems, and decreased availability Toretsk the foreseeable future due to security concerns, Pivnichne of nutritious foods. These issues are more political differences, or lack of accommodation. Zalizne NovhorodskeNovhoro ske pronounced along the line of contact (LoC) The region is also highly urbanised with 83% Novoselliivka Luhansk NGCA where ongoing shelling disrupts the provision of the population living in urban settlements. Novobakhmutivka of regular services and damages critical Verkhnotoretske infrastructure. Utilities Avdiivka Pervomaiske In September 2017, REACH conducted a Issues facing households regarding utilities Krasnohorivka household survey in the settlements within vary dramatically between urban and rural Heorhiivka 5km of the LoC assessing the humanitarian populations, as well as between Donetsk and Marinka situation in the Government-Controlled Area Luhansk oblasts. Urban households are much Novomykhailivka Donetsk NGCA (GCA) of the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts. more likely to have access to central heating, Based on the specific winter concerns and whereas rural households more often rely on Stepne Number of interviews objectives set out by REACH partners, this gas, coal or wood to heat their accommodation. NovotroitskeNovotroitske in assessed se�lements: study attempts to identify key changes in With a smaller proportion of households relying Mykolaivka < 10 humanitarian needs that occur during the on coal in Luhansk oblast, the corresponding Novohnativka 10 - 20 greater reliance on collecting firewood poses > 20 winter period in order to provide an evidence- Starohnativka additional protection concerns as forests are Novohryhorivka base for humanitarian actors to implement Se�lement types: reported as being heavily contaminated by Hranitne effective future programming for winterisation Hirske City/urban type village landmines and unexploded ordnances (UXO). Novoselivka Russian assistance to people living in conflict-affected Druha Federation Druzhba Village areas. Protection Chermalyk Pavlopil Line of contact (LoC) This situation overview outlines the results Physical protection and security concerns Orlovske 5km buffer zone Hnutove obtained in the February 2018 household continue due to ongoing and active conflict in TalakivkaTalakivka Non-government Lomakyne controlled areas survey, and is supplemented by a Non- the area assessed. The location of the LoC has Lebedynske Government Controlled Area (NGCA) overview remained relatively stable since early 2015, Sopyne as well as a cash assistance fact sheet. thereby limiting the geographic scope of active Sea of Azov 0 10 20 30 Kms conflict and increasing the concentration of scores, and large proportions of households Methodology mines and explosive remnants of war (ERW). report reduced quality and variety of fruits and These landmines contaminate forests, urban vegetables available to them. Of particular The research used a mixed methods approach the use of KOBO as well as interviewing areas and agricultural land, posing significant concern are single-headed households and composed of both quantitative and qualitative techniques and issues regarding the protection risks to populations in the area. High military pre-pension age heads of household, for whom methods of data collection. of vulnerable populations. presence and restricted movement due to Food Security Index scores are significantly The quantitative component involved 577 Limitations checkpoints adds an additional burden to lower than other household types. Male-headed face-to-face household interviews within 5km • The geographic scope of data collection populations in the area. households earned 13% more per household of the line of contact in GCA, sampled to be limits the generalisability of the findings to member than female-headed households. statistically representative of households in Education the 5 km area along the LoC. Unemployed household members (both HoHH the region (90% confidence interval and a 7% Rural households most commonly cite long and other HH members) cite a lack of income margin of error). This area closest to the LoC • Relatively low numbers of IDP households distances to educational facilities as a barrier generating opportunities in their communities was outlined in the 2018 Humanitarian Needs living in the assessed area reduces the to accessing education, whereas urban as well as closing of enterprises as key drivers Overview (HNO) and Humanitarian Response generalisability of findings on IDP households households report a lack of qualified teaching of unemployment in the region. Plan (HRP) as having the highest humanitarian when compared to the 2016 Inter-Agency staff. While the overall majority of households Shelter & NFIs needs across the GCA. To better understand Vulnerability Assessment (IAVA). report access to psychosocial services in the varying needs across geographical areas, • The protracted nature of the conflict schools, less than a third of rural households Fewer households report living in damaged sampling provided statistical generalisability in potentially leads respondents to under-report report availability compared to nearly two thirds accommodation than in the summer period, both urban and rural areas in both oblasts. risks as they become normalised. of urban households. Inadequate heating potentially because harsh weather conditions in schools affects a minority of households, require households to either repair their shelter The qualitative component involved 58 • Though the data has been cross-checked consistent across rural and urban areas and or move elsewhere for the season. The vast focus group discussions (FGDs) with 13 with secondary data and direct observations, between oblasts. majority of households with damaged shelter enumerators, and 3 team leaders to evaluate Data is self-reported which could potentially report conflict/shelling as the cause. Concerning their direct observations of conditions in the introduce reporting bias. Health settlements that were visited. NFIs, rural households are more likely to lack • When examining subsets of each sampling Over all, 74% of households report greater a number of essential winter items such as Primary data was collected using the KOBO strata (ex. HH with children in Donetsk health concerns during the winter period. More personal insulation or appropriate footwear for platform, and enumerators were trained in oblast), confidence intervals are lower. than 40% face barriers to accessing healthcare all household members than urban ones. during the winter months and rural households WASH Table 1: Assessment time-line Table 2: Sampled households are more severely affected with 51% facing barriers to access, many of whom cite distance More than one-third (34%) of households Month Research Phases Rural* Urban* Total to health facilities as a leading obstacle. continue to report drinking untreated water, This trend is of particular concern regarding particularly in rural areas where households Nov. 2017 Research design Donetsk oblast 57 310 367 specialist treatment, which rural households are more likely to be drinking groundwater from Dec. 2017 – are significantly less likely to report as being boreholes or tube wells. Rural populations are Questionnaire design Luhansk oblast 35 175 210 available to household members. also much more likely to use outdoor toilets Jan. 2018 Food, Markets and Livelihoods (69% compared to 25% of urban households), Feb. 2018 Data collection Total 92 485 577 which is particularly burdensome for vulnerable Since the summer assessment, there has been populations during harsh winter weather. Mar. 2018 Data analysis * Note: settlements in Ukraine are officially classified as a 61% increase in the percentage of households “village,” “urban-type village,” or “city.” This assessment with poor or borderline food consumption Apr. 2018 – classifies villages as rural and urban-type villages/cities Report drafting & validation May 2018 as urban. 2 Population & Displacement Elderly people made up the largest vulnerability government controlled and non-government group (37% of the population of assessed controlled. Overall, 16% of households Population Figure 1: Household IDP status households were pensioners), followed