Koshi River Floods in Sunsari and Saptari OCHA Situation Report No.7
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Koshi River Floods in Sunsari and Saptari OCHA Situation Report No.7 Kathmandu, 2 September 2008 This situation report is based on information received from the OCHA Office in Biratnagar, OCHA staff in Sunsari and Saptari Districts, UN Agencies and humanitarian partner organisations. I. Situation in Sunsari and Saptari Districts, Eastern Nepal 1) Flooding: Fifteen days after the initial breach in its eastern embankment the Koshi River in South Eastern Nepal continues to flow along its new course, thus inundating four Village Development Committee areas in Sunsari District, and heavily affecting hundreds of villages south of the border in Bihar, India. Although the water level in the river has gone down somewhat in recent days, it still discharges the majority of its waters through the gap in the sand-ridge forming its embankment, and meanders in an uncontrolled manner southwards. 2) In Nepal, the VDCs Haripur and Shripur are still almost entirely under water, as are the Western wards of the Kushaha Paschhim and Laukahi VDCs. The East West IDPs setting up a temporary shelter with donated sheet and bamboo along the highway in Saptari district. Photo: OCHA highway remains impassable, thus cutting off Koshi and Mechi Zones from the rest of Nepal. The damage to infrastructure has been significant, and some of the 8) A significant portion of the displaced population are damaged facilities (eg. power lines and transmitters) in persons displaced by the flood from their homes in India. In southern VDCs, it could be as much as 75%. Overall, it India have had an adverse affect on Nepal. is estimated that 30-40% of displaced people in Sunsari are from India. More than 10,000 people are believed to 3) Technical assessments and repair efforts are being conducted by both the Government of Nepal and various have entered from India. Indian governmental bodies. The Government of Bihar as 9) It should be noted that many people have trans-border the lessee of the Koshi barrage installations is cooperating with the Nepal authorities in view of repairing the damage family ties. The influx of Indians may be that for many in the embankment. As this essentially means to redirect flood affected Indians, the closest high ground lies on the river into its previous riverbed, the challenge is Nepali territory, as well as an expectation that relief assistance may be within closer reach on this side of the enormous and initial attempts to close the gap have been border. unsuccessful so far. 10) In India, reports of displaced and affected persons has 4) The Chief of the Water-Induced-Disaster Control Office in reached several millions. Relief and assistance efforts are Biratnagar was quoted as saying that the embankment has underway, and shelter camps have been set up for the flood collapsed not due to the high water level but because it had victims. become fragile. The gap in the crumbling embankment has since widened to 1,600m, which rules out the possibility of 11) Additional flooding, on a much smaller scale, occurred ”plugging‘ the embankment in the immediate future. during the past days at Sunsari River, a smaller tributary of Instead, repair works now focus on preventing any further the Koshi. On 29 August, floods were reported in VDCs collapse of the breached banks. Dhuskighat, Bashntapur and Kaptangunj VDCs in Southern Sunsari, which caused additional people to be 5) At the same time, efforts are underway to find a temporary displaced. Many of them are now sheltered in secondary alternative route for the East-West Highway, possibly schools and community halls in Dewangunj, Kaptangunj bridging the Koshi River further north from the breach. and Dhuskighat. Current estimates project that a significant reduction of the flood waters cannot be expected before the beginning II. Humanitarian Response of the dry season towards the end of the year. 12) Ongoing and completed assessments: Initial 6) Displacement: The Government (Ministry of Home assessments by the Government and aid agencies have Affairs - MoHA) currently estimates that the number of been completed, and the relief operation is in full swing. people displaced by the flood has reached 50,000. All available assessments are being shared with relevant counterparts and are posted on the UN Information 7) In Sunsari district (east of the new river course), 31,000 Platform designated floods website. There is, however, still displaced people are in identified camps and another a shortage of assessments on outlying areas, which 14,000 displaced are with host families in areas assessed. includes islands in flooded VDCs as well as areas outside It is estimated that there could be an additional 15,000 shelter camps. with host families in areas not yet assessed. Koshi floods in Sunsari and Saptari / OCHA Appeal and Situation Report No.7 / 2 September 2008 1 13) Actors on the ground: The Government continues to people of 4,513 families (13,484 male and 13,249 female take the lead in coordinating the relief efforts. The District including 11,691 child of under the age of 14) have been Disaster Relief Committees (DDRC) of Sunsari and Saptari counted and are taking shelter in the 28 temporary shelters are operational. A regional disaster coordination in Sunsari District. committee has been set up in Biratnagar, which is led by the Joint Secretary of the MoHA responsible for disaster 20) In Saptari, a total of 22,751 affected people of 3,365 relief to reinforce the government‘s response on the displaced families (NRCS) are taking shelter at Bhardaha, ground. At central level, the Government coordinates Portaha, Joginiya-2 and Hanumannagar VDCs. In through the Central Disaster Relief Committee, chaired by addition, displaced persons remain on the high ground the Minister of Home Affairs. areas along the Koshi dam and the highway which are accessible only from Saptari over the barrage. Altogether in 14) UN agencies as well as humanitarian organizations have Saptari and West of the breach, 1,800 families are at the followed developments closely from the outset and have Eastern embankment, 617 families in 4 newly established mobilized a full-fledged coordinated relief effort on the camps, 500 families with host families and 1,800 people ground. (See the Press Release of the RC/HC of 29 are in 7 schools (Oxfam). August.) Working through a cluster system and coordinated, with the help of OCHA‘s presence in both 21) The government has decided to vacate the temporary districts, in daily contact group meetings, services settlements along the highway and on the embankments in continue to be extended to the flood affected population Sunsari district (East of Koshi barrage) in order to get with a focus on shelter, food, water and sanitation, as well better access to the site of the breach. As some of the as health services. displaced people living in these areas were unwilling to relocate to Saptari as proposed, the authorities have 15) UNICEF, WHO, WFP, UNFPA, OHCHR and UNHCR organized 8 new shelter sites just off the embankment continue to deploy staff to the affected areas. OCHA has (approx 100-200m apart - essentially one long continuous set up a temporary presence in both Saptari (Rajbiraj) and settlement). Some of these areas are waterlogged, and it Sunsari (Inaruwa). The Resident and Humanitarian has been uncertain whether the area is suitable for Coordinator is planning to visit the area in support of the settlement. At present, it appears unlikely to flood. relief efforts on Friday, 5 September. 22) Of the three sites identified so far in Sunsari for the interim 16) The Nepal Red Cross Society (NRCS) has taken a lead role resettlement of flood displaced people only one has in the mobilization of volunteers, collection of data, received the authorities‘ approval and works have begun. registration, provision of relief efforts, coordination Due to local residents‘ objections the two other sites among agencies and provision of first aid services for suggested earlier are being revaluated. In the meantime, displaced persons, among other things. Its reports on with the assistance of an IOM expert, a third site has been shelter population are posted on the UN Nepal identified. That facility is a government-owned prison in Information Platform. Jhumka on the road between Inaruwa and Itahari) which is also known locally as the —Chinese camp“. The site has 17) Coordination meetings take place regularly at district level been approved as the first relocation site for flood victims. in various formats. In Sunsari, coordination meetings are held daily at the OCHA Satellite Office in Inaruwa with a 23) The LDO has formally requested all the cluster members to wide range of participants including the LDO, UN, start the interim work in the new site immediately. I/NGOs, NRCS and government line agencies. The agenda Humanitarian agencies reiterated the need to have includes a situation update, update from the minimal required facilities in place before initiating any taskforce/cluster leads (including gaps), cross-cutting movement to the site. The WASH cluster will oversee the issues and next steps. Specific or technical issues are construction of 200 toilets targeting 4,000 people. The referred to the taskforces/clusters. In Saptari, the DDRC food cluster is ready to distribute relief materials in close convened on 1 September with UN participation. For 2 coordination with the government authorities from 3 September, the DDRC is planning for a much wider September. meeting of government line agencies, relief agencies, political parties, and media to provide updates, review 24) A single resettlement site is not sufficient, however, and an progress and discuss further plans. Separate cluster additional site needs to be identified. Agencies have meetings (for protection, health, education and WASH) suggested that some of the idle facilities in the Biratnagar have been held.