SUNAMGANJ FLOODS Phase 1 - Joint Rapid Emergency Assessment 02 July 2012 KEY FINDINGS - Five upazilla have been affected by the flooding. The three most severly affected are Bishwambarpur, Dowarabazar and Chhatak wit Sunamganj Sadar and Thaipur being moderately affected. - 318,000 people are partially or severely affected by the flood in the Sunamganj district (around 58,000 families, 13% of the total population). - 55,000 people were displaced as of the 30th June (around 10,000 households). Most displaced people are being hosted in neighbour’s and relative’s houses. - Around 13,000 shelters have been damaged in the 5 affected upazillas. - The flood has damaged water infrastructure and sanitation facilities. This situation increases the risk of water borne diseases including skin diseases and diarrhoea. - Although the flooding situation is decreasing, heavy rains that are predicted by weather forecasts could lead to a deterioration of the situation in the coming ten days. - The markets are still functional at the present time, but the impact of the floods on the food prices need to be monitored. - The top priorities according to government officiasl are: o Food security support o Water and Sanitation o Shelter - The local capacities of government authorities in terms of response is estimated to cover around 20% of the current needs. Recommendations Further assessments and ongoing monitoring - A Community Level Assessment is required in the five most affected upazillas (29 unions) - Regular monitoring of the flood situation is required on a daily basis - Regular monitoring of the markets to follow the impact of the flood on the food prices Immediate response Immediate assistance is required for displaced people marooned on island settlements, in emergency shelters and gathering places of displaced people (schools) - A food support is required with a cash approach as the markets remain functional - Installation of temporary water infrastructure or rehabilitation of existing water supply - Installation of temporary latrines where people are staying - Distribution of NFI kit, included Hygiene kit and plastic sheeting to those who have been displaced Recovery response - Disinfection and rehabilitation of damaged tube wells - Household sanitation facilities 2 | P a g e - Shelter Rehabilitation or construction for returnees (including rehabilitation of public building such as schools) Long term response - Disaster resilient water and sanitation facilities - Earth work in order to raise the Haiti and reduce the risk of erosion METHODOLOGY This report is based on the compilation of available secondary data1, a collection of qualitative primary data from phone interviews with Upazilla government officials2 and short field observations on Friday 29th and Saturday 30th June. The report was finalised on Monday 2nd July. This joint assessment was coordinated by Solidarites International with the support of FIVDB, Concern Worldwide / VARD, Christian Aid / POPI for primary data collection and Islamic Relief, Dan Church Aid, Oxfam, Care for additional editing and comments. Secondary data compiled by CARE with the support of ACAPS were incorporated in the report to complete field data. Additional field data were provided by Islamic relief in Chhatak Upazilla. The assessment took place under the overall coordination of the HCTT based on the joint decision of HCTT members to assess flood affected areas taken on 28th June. GENERAL INOFRMATION ABOUT THE SUNAMGANJ DISTRICT Most affected Upazilla 1 Secondary data included both pre-disaster information and in-disaster information from sources, including government and media. 2 (TNO/UNO, PIO, Upazilla Chairman) 3 | P a g e 80% of Sunamganj is within a Haor area consisting of medium lowland, lowland and very lowland. The Haor Basin is a particularly vulnerable region of Bangladesh (IFAD 2011, WB 2010) subject to extensive annual flooding which limits agricultural and rural enterprise growth. Boats are used during the flood season as transportation because roads are completely submerged. Poor communication/road systems and access to external markets limit incentives for increased production and reduce rural expansion (IFAD 2011). During the monsoon a Haor becomes a vast stretch of turbulent water. Usually Haor areas are flooded for 6 months of the year from May to October. During the dry season, most of the water drains out, leaving one or more shallow beels which become mostly overgrown with aquatic vegetation. These beels can completely dry out by the end of the dry season, exposing rich alluvial soil which is extensively cultivated for rice. All year long people live on land that is naturally or artificially elevated (called Hati). During the rainy season, these higher portions of land become islands completely surrounded by water. During the dry season the water goes away and the land that was previously flooded turns into agricultural land. Because of the extremely high population density in Bangladesh including the Haor region, are forced to live in flood and erosion prone areas.3 The haor basin has been identified as one of the ‘highly food insecure’ regions of the country (WFP 2004). The physical conditions of the haors together with the poor infrastructure are the root causes of the high levels of poverty in the region. The extended period of annual flooding means only a single crop can be grown, thus increasing vulnerability (IFAD 2011). Lack of markets and power supplies has limited the growth of the non-farm sector and the Snapshot of Derai upazailla: an example of livelihoods in growth of new employment opportunities (IFAD the haors 2011). Low productivity in agriculture and lack of other employment opportunities drives many Livelihoods vulnerability in the Derai upazilla in Sunamganj men (and a few women) to seasonally migrate in is among the highest in the country. Damage to standing search of work in other parts of Bangladesh crops is high due to frequent floods (GoB 2008). The main occupation in Derai is agriculture (accounting for 45% of (IFAD 2011). livelihoods) (GoB 2008). Single cropped land is about 88%, implying that most of the land is inaccessible for cropping in other seasons. Double cropped land is only 13%. Among the farmers, 9% are landless, 21% belong to the marginal farmers class, 38% per cent are small farmers, 32% are medium and large farmers (GoB 2008). Demography 3 For more information on flood, erosion and land tenure, please refer to FAO study on “Land tenure and natural disasters”, available at http://www.fao.org/docrep/013/i1855e/i1855e00.htm 4 | P a g e Census 2001 Census 20114 Bishwambarpur Upazila 126259 155929 Chhatak Upazila 334546 413164 Derai Upazila 202791 250446 Dharampasha Upazila 182969 225966 Dowarabazar Upazila 179201 221313 Jagannathpur Upazila 225271 278209 Jamalganj Upazila 138985 171646 Sulla Upazila 101298 125103 Sunamganj Sadar Upazila 367230 453529 Tahirpur Upazila 155188 191657 Total 2013738 2443000 (2486966) DISASTER OVERVIEW Flooding in Bangladesh Flooding occurs almost annually in Bangladesh. Every year, approximately 20.5 % of the country is inundated by flooding (Paul and Routray 2010). If flooding is prolonged the population becomes extremely vulnerable (Khan 2008). When flooding is extreme it can affect up to 70% of the country (Paul and Routray 2010). Wide scale flooding can bring devastation to crops, livestock and property as well as disrupt livelihoods and cause loss of life and livelihoods (Paul and Routray 2010). Excess rains and flooding coupled with lack of proper drainage can lead to water logging. A number of factors contribute to prolonged water logging; increased sediment flows, embankment build up as a result of shrimp farming which leads to improper river flow, improper maintenance of embankments and the release of 5 large amounts of water in the monsoon season Figure 1 -Flood affected areas from barrages in India. Water logging results in significant damage to water and sanitation facilities, houses and infrastructure. It causes losses of fisheries and livestock as well as damage to crops. Both agricultural and non agricultural livelihoods are significantly impacted and, as highlighted in the southwest in 2011, can take months to resume, (Oxfam 2011). 4 Nb pop is an approximate extrapolation from Sylhet 24% of increase as per the 2011 census. As per 2011 census, Sunamganj sum up 2443 thousand people. % of error between extrapolated result and 2010 census is overall 1.8% = (2443-2487)/2443 5 Source: NDRCC; DMRD; MoFDM – www.dmrd.gov.bd; Data Date: Jun 27, 2012@10:30 am 5 | P a g e Flooding in the Sunamganj district / Haor area Flooding is a normal situation in the Haors. Flash floods in Haor areas occur each year from the end of April to early May. This trend makes the Boro cultivation pattern unique in the Haor areas. Across most of the haor region rice is cultivated only once a year. People cultivate Boro yearly and aim to harvest before flash flood season starts. Even though people have adapted their agricultural patters and lives to cope with the annual flooding of the Haor region, flash floods often occur early and can have still have devastating impacts on the general livelihood situation of Haor families including the destruction of the once a year harvest. Furthermore, heavy floods are common. Consequence of major flooding in the Haor region As shown in the figure below, Hoar inhabitants are constantly at risk of a major flooding. The normal level of water in the rainy season causes considerable damage every