Rapid Assessment Report of Flood-Affected Communities in Rajanpur District, Punjab Province, Pakistan Families displaced by the flooding in Punjab province Photo by Jason Tanner Monitoring, Evaluation and Accountability Unit August 24, 2010 Acknowledgements We would like to extent our deepest gratitude to Acting Program Manager Rajanpur Mr.Abdul Dayyan and his team, in particular Mr.Arif Khan. Their efforts made possible smooth execution of logistics and operational activities required in this assessment. We acknowledge support and guidance provided by our Team Leader Allison Zelkowitz which eased us in addressing all the challenges during the course of study. We are thankful to our data enumerators who showed great commitment to their work and reached target locations even travelling by foot. Finally we would like to acknowledge the flood affected communities who gave us their valuable time and provided vital information for this study. Report by: Sajjad Akram Monitoring, Evaluation & Accountability Manager Muhammad Hassan Monitoring, Evaluation & Accountability Manager Save the Children, Malakand Response Program, Pakistan © Save the Children Federation Inc. 2010 2 List of Abbreviations and Acronyms BHU Basic Health Unit CD Civil Dispensary CH Civil Hospital DHQ District Headquarter Hospital HHs Households Km Kilometers MNCH Maternal, Neonatal, and Child Health NFIs Non Food Items SPSS Statistical Package for Social Sciences THQ Tehsil Headquarter Hospital UCs Union Councils 3 Table of Contents Executive Summary ................................................................................................................ 6 Background Information ....................................................................................................... 8 Objective of the Study ........................................................................................................... 8 Methodology ........................................................................................................................... 8 Study Results ........................................................................................................................... 9 Basic Information ............................................................................................................... 9 Damages to Housing ........................................................................................................ 10 Availability of Non-Food Items ...................................................................................... 10 Main Sources of Drinking Water .................................................................................... 11 Availability of Latrine Facilities ....................................................................................... 11 Main Sources of Income before Disaster ...................................................................... 11 Access to Health Services ................................................................................................ 12 Food Security ..................................................................................................................... 13 Vulnerable Population ...................................................................................................... 14 Education ........................................................................................................................... 14 Recommendations ................................................................................................................ 15 4 List of Figures and Tables List of Figures Figure 1Extent of Damages to Housing Infrastructures ............................................................................. 10 Figure 2 Main Sources of Drinking Water ................................................................................................. 11 Figure 3 Main Sources of Income before Floods ....................................................................................... 12 Figure 4 Food Stock Available for No. of Days in Communities where Food is Available ....................... 14 List of Tables Table 1 Names of UCs and Number of Communities Surveyed per UC ....................................................... 9 Table 2 Availability of Non-Food Items with HHs...................................................................................... 10 Table 3 Affect of Flood on Main Sources of Income ................................................................................... 12 Table 4 Types of Health Facilities Accessed by Communities .................................................................... 13 Table 5 Prevalent Diseases among Flood Affected Population .................................................................. 13 5 Executive Summary Flash floods caused by hill torrents in Rajanpur District in last week of July, 2010 devastated at least 131 villages leaving around 15,055 people homeless and 162,000 acres of cotton fields ruined. This rapid assessment study illustrates the situation of 19 flood-affected UCs in Rajanpur District – within these 19 UCs; the survey team visited 99 communities in two days time. The average household size in the 19 affected UCs was found to be 7.6 persons. Food Security Worryingly, despite the fact that flood water destroyed food stocks in affected areas 63.3 percent community members stated that they have not received any food aid. 37.1 percent of communities reported that, overall, most families in their communities have no food stock available at home; where limited food stock is available, the main food items include rice and wheat. In communities which reported some food at home, 26.6 percent mentioned that most people have food stock for only 1-3 days. In 25 percent of communities, available food stock is for 4-7 days, whereas 48.4 percent of communities mentioned that available stock is for 8-14 days. Sources of Drinking Water In 58.2 percent of surveyed communities, the main source of drinking water is hand pumps, while 16.3 percent are buying water from the market for their needs. Water in 49 percent of communities was reported as insufficient. Availability of Non-Food Items Community members in 33.3 percent of communities don’t have any water containers which can hold 10-20 liters of water, whereas community members in 36.4 percent of communities don’t have cooking utensils. Only 4.1 percent of communities have received or been assessed for NFIs. Access to Health Services A number of health facilities in Rajanpur District are still under water and few others are inaccessible due to damaged roads. Furthermore, as many are cut off from main towns, 66.3 percent of communities are unable to access health services when needed, while the other 33.7 percent of communities can access health facilities but with some difficulties. Moreover, 74.5 percent of communities reported that injured and sick community members are not receiving any medical treatment. Pregnant women in particular are facing problems in accessing health services. The most prevalent ailments are diarrhea, respiratory infections, skin diseases and eye infections. Damage to Housing Communities reported that, overall, 95.6 percent of housing structures have been damaged; among these, 84.8 percent are fully damaged (meaning the roof has collapsed or 4-8 feet submerged); while 10.7 percent are partially damaged (meaning a portion of the house is inhabitable, though not necessarily secure). In only 4.4 percent of cases, community members shared that housing structures are intact. 6 Availability of Latrines Only 16.3 percent of HHs is currently utilizing a functional latrine, whereas 83.7 percent of HHs lacks functional latrines. For those who are utilizing latrine facilities, 8.2 percent are using flush system latrines and another 8.2 percentage are using pit latrines. Equal access to latrine facilities for male and female members is available to only 17.5 percent of HHs; this implies that, even within families who have access to a functional latrine, men are likely practicing open defecation (due to cultural norms). Main Sources of Income Agriculture was reported as the main source of income in 51.5 percent of communities; standing crops of cotton and sugarcane were badly damaged in many of these villages. Casual labor was shared as the main source of income by 47.5 percent of communities, but these casual laborers are out of work, because of submerged agriculture lands, as their main occupation was agriculture related labor work. Protection Issues Of the 99 surveyed communities, there were 265 reported cases of separated children, 3 cases of missing children, and 7 children have lost one or both of their parents. Safe play areas are available to children in only 2 percent of communities. Women are facing particular issues after the floods, 66.3 percent communities stated that their women are facing issues mostly related to their privacy and maintaining hygiene. Education Community members in surveyed communities reported damages to 100 percent of school buildings; 26.2 percent are partially damaged, and another 26.2 percent are badly damaged, while 47.6 percent are completely destroyed or submerged to the extent that building cannot be used. It is quite alarming that school infrastructures in district has been depleted even before floods so this situation will further deteriorate the education system and reduce children’s access to education. 7 Background Information Rajanpur District is located in the