Humanitarian Overview - Farah Province OCHA Contact: Shahrokh Pazhman

February 2014 http://afg.humanitarianresponse.info/

Context: Farah province is the most contested in the Western Region with civilians in the northern, central and eastern districts significantly exposed to conflict between ANSF and AGEs. Basic services provision outside of the provincial capital is minimal. The province has few resources, while insecurity has affected the presence and activity of NGOs and the funding of Donors.

Key Messages 1. The province has the highest risk profile in the Western Region and one of the highest for Afghanistan as a result of poor access to basic health services, restricted humanitarian access and exposure to drought. Insecurity severely hampers the delivery of basic services and humanitarian assistance to Bala Buluk, Bakwa, Gulistan, and Purchaman. More than a third of the population in the province suffers from poor access to health care centres and very low vaccination coverage. Access strategies as well institutional commitment by relevant departments are urgently required to improve this negative indicator. The limited presence of humanitarian organization must be offset by additional monitoring from Hirat-based regional clusters and regular engagement with provincial authorities.

People in Need Population (CSO 2012) Humanitarian Organizations Transition Status Present with Current Operations  6,302 conflict IDPs from  Total: 482,400 UNICEF, UNHCR, WHO, IOM, CHA, Fully transferred to the 2011 to 2013 (UNHCR)  Male: 51.3% - Female: 48.7% VWO, ARCS, ICRC, and VARA Afghan National Army,  40,033 natural disaster  Urban:7.3% - Rural: 92.7% 31 December 2012 affected from 2012 to 2013 (NATO). (IOM)  1,400 evicted from informal settlement (DoRR) plus 1,500 protracted IDPs living under tents since 1990s.

Humanitarian Coordination Structure: The Provincial Governor chairs the Provincial Disaster Management Committee with the support of ANDMA. There is no Operational Coordinating Team due to the small presence of active humanitarian actors on the ground.

Humanitarian Access (Issues/Constraints): Humanitarian organizations are severely constrained in their movement outside of Farah city with almost no assessments taking place in the east and northern parts of the province: Pur Chaman district is locked in by insecure districts. The provincial capital can be easily accessed from the regional humanitarian hub in Hirat, where emergency stocks are stored and can quickly be mobilized from.

Disease Outbreaks as reported by DEWS: From 2009 to August 2013, 23 outbreaks have been recorded mostly in Purchaman and Khaki Safed district.

Humanitarian Needs by Sector/Cluster Food Security and Agriculture: Less than 1% of the population is considered as "very severely food insecure" and almost 5% are “food insecure” (CHAP 2014).

Health: Farah is rated has having medium needs/vulnerability (3) but with districts such as Bakwa, Khaki Safed, Purchaman and Bala Buluk rated much higher (5) and where more than 40% of population has no/difficult access to health facilities and vaccination coverage below 60%. Nutrition: Although no nutrition assessment is available, proxy indicators used by the national cluster indicate that the nutrition needs and vulnerability of the population are very low.

Protection: Farah has the highest civ-cas rate in the region. The province hosts a high rate of new IDPs since 2011 and is considered the most contested part of the region along its border to the south and to the north (Shindand). The province is extremely vulnerable to conflict and likely to witness a deterioration in 2014. Water, Sanitation and Hygiene: The province is raked low (2) by WASH cluster but Khaki Safed has been identified as a priority district. Acute wash needs are reported in the immediate aftermath of natural and conflict events. More than 50% of the population has access to safe drinking water but chronic WASH issues are evident with protracted IDPs in Farah city.