ASIA-PACIFIC INTER-AGENCY REGIONAL OVERVIEW EL NIÑO (as of May 9th 2016) About this Brief This overview collates available evidence on the devastating impact of El Niño across the region. It provides country overviews information on national and local level impacts, needs and responses. The countries featured include Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, The Philippines, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Vanuatu and Viet Nam. Note the total number of affected and funding summary information shown in this overview is incomplete and needs further updates from all organizations responding to El Nino in Asia-Pacific. Save the Children would like to thank CARE, World Vision, People in Need, Plan, Oxfam, UNOCHA, and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation for providing updates and data for this brief. Asia-Pacific Regional Overview - El Niño 9 May 2016 2 Impact of El Niño on the region Asia and the Pacific Mongolia: Viet Nam: 313,580 people affected, incl. 2.3 million people affected 28,290 children under 5 32.5 million people affected in 10 countries in Asia Pacific Myanmar: (not including India) 143,000 children under 5 affected by floods The Philippines: 12 million people India: estimated to be affected 330 million people affected Papua New Guinea: 1.8 million people affected Thailand: Timor-Leste: Reservoir levels 400,000 people in reduced by 40-50% affected municipalities Cambodia: Indonesia: Vanuatu: 2.5 million 1.2 million people in 69,000 people affected people affected need of assistance Asia-Pacific Regional Overview - El Niño 9 May 2016 3 What happens if we do not act? WHAT HISTORY TEACHES US El Niño in 1997-98: 23,000 deaths and 35-45 billion USD in damages globally and had devastating impacts on the region: • It caused a 15% spike in poverty rates in some countries. • In Indonesia, 5 million people were affected by drought. • In the Philippines, 2.6 million people were affected by drought. • The Indonesian Government was forced to import 5.8 million tons of rice due to crop failures; the Philippines imported 2.2 million tons. • In Cambodia, an additional 100,000 participants were enrolled into WFP Food for Work scheme. • In Papua New Guinea, 336,000 people were food insecure. • Forest fires in Indonesia burned 5 million hectares and increased global temperatures. It cost governments in the region up to 45 billion USD. • Families and those reliant on agricultural livelihoods were forced to take negative coping mechanisms. Many had to sell livestock or migrated in search of work. • 250 million people across the region were left without shelter and possessions after La Niña flooding in 1998. Asia-Pacific Regional Overview - El Niño 9 May 2016 4 What happens if we do not act? Comparing 2015-2016 to 1997-1998 • Past El Niño events and weather forecasts for the next few months indicate the crisis will intensify in the region with millions more suffering if no action is taken. • The current El Niño is comparable to the 1997-98 El Niño in terms of severity, but: • unlike the 1997-98 El Niño that followed a relatively neutral year in 1996, 2014 witnessed several months of a mild El Niño; • although the worst of the 2015-16 El Niño has passed, it has already stretched over a longer timeframe than the 1997-98 El Niño. Asia-Pacific Regional Overview - El Niño 9 May 2016 5 Current Response I Overview of inter-agency activity Food Security and Water, Hygiene and Livelihoods Sanitation • Cash transfers to help families cope with • Distribution of WASH NFIs (PNG) reductions in income due to failed crops • Hygiene promotion training (PNG) (INO) • Water filters for HH and schools (VN) • Fodder distribution to support livestock • Providing water containers to households (T-L) (MNG) • Installing community water storage tanks • Seed packet distribution (T-L) (Vanuatu) • Awareness sessions on agricultural approaches • Installing water supply facilities, including water (T-L) pipes and wells (VN) • Food distribution, such as rice, (PNG, VN) • Mobile health clinics (VAN) Asia-Pacific Regional Overview - El Niño 4 May 2016 6 Current Response II Overview of inter-agency activity Nutrition Health • Nutrition assessments among children after reports on • Providing fuel to hospitals, to malnutrition (PNG) provide healthcare to herder • Awareness raising sessions on child nutrition and diet diversity communities (MNG) (IND) • Providing psycho-social support to children (MNG) Education • Vaccination campaigns (PNG) • Awareness raising sessions on education access, in response to negative coping strategies (IND) • Catch-up-schooling for children of herder families (MNG) Asia-Pacific Regional Overview - El Niño 4 May 2016 7 Planned Response I Overview of inter-agency activity Food Security and Water, Hygiene and Livelihoods Sanitation • Cash-for-food transfers for households with • Improve hygiene knowledge and good practice children of under 5 (VN) (PNG) • Expanding already existing cash transfer • Providing drinking water (THL) schemes (INO) • Improving access to clean water (VN) • Improving access to agricultural inputs to • Providing water containers (water tanks and return to crop yields to pre-PAM Cyclone filters)(VN) levels (VAN) • Water purification treatment (T-L) • Improved seed storage to improve resilience • Improving protection of water sources that are (T-L) currently unprotected and might (T-L) Asia-Pacific Regional Overview - El Niño 4 May 2016 8 Planned Response II Overview of inter-agency activity Nutrition Health • Provision of MNP for children (VN) • Improving access at targeted health care posts (PNG) • Nutrition programming for children (PNG) • Following increases in cases of dengue, diarrhea, • Nutrition scanning at existing health posts and foot and mouth diseases among livestock, (T-L) improve access to water (VN) Education • Improving school WASH facilities (CAM,T-L) • IEC materials will be distributed (CAM) Asia-Pacific Regional Overview - El Niño 4 May 2016 9 Country Specific Overviews Asia-Pacific Regional Overview - El Niño 4 May 2016 10 Cambodia KEY FINDINGS • El Niño induced high temperatures and low rainfall have resulted in water shortages for both human consumption and dry season crops throughout Cambodia. • 12 out of 25 provinces are severely affected. • At the end of 2015, already 93,503 families were affected by the drought in Cambodia. • The most urgent needs are WASH and FSL related. • In Koh Kong province, the most common coping strategies are taking out loans to deal with the affects of El Niño, migrating out of Koh Kong to Thailand, and changing daily diet. SECTORS AFFECTED • The Prime Minister has issued a public call for saving water during the wet season and army forces have been deployed to deliver water to affected communities. There is generally low capacity to respond to the crisis at local government level. Food Security • Children are highly at risk of long-term impacts of drought (malnutrition, migration, and children left behind by migrating parents, lack of education/drop out of school to support Livelihoods families with livelihoods). Water, 2.5 million Number of children Sanitation and people affected* affected not known Hygiene *Source: Vice-president of the National Committee for Disaster Management (NCDM), Nhim Vanda, on May 5th Health APPEAL: No appeal has been launched Asia-Pacific Regional Overview - El Niño 9 May 2016 11 Cambodia Overview of the impact FSL and Household Income WASH • Crops have been planted later with many dying as • El Niño induced drought coupled with increased seedlings due to drought with some provinces reporting temperatures of up to 40 Degree Celsius in some places 90% crop failure. Kampong Speu, Battambang and Pursat has resulted in lowered water levels. have suffered most. • The main rivers – Mekong River and Tonlé Sap – have low • In the early months of the drought in 2015, already 185,451 water levels compared to most years. hectares of agricultural land had suffered from dry • In March 2016, water shortages were being reported weather conditions. across Koh Kong and Oddar Meanchey provinces, with • The low water levels in the Mekong have decreased fish other provinces starting to report similar concerns. productivity and fertilizer availability. • Koh Kong: an assessment by NGOs showed that HH daily • Especially those living in poverty are facing food shortages. water consumption throughout March was far less than a • Farmers in some parts of the country report they have typical year. gotten into debt and have little means to repay it after the • Water scarcity has also impacted personal and family likelihood of reduced profits from crop failures. hygiene due to a lack of WASH coping mechanisms. • The worst affected groups are the hand to mouth • There is not enough water to tend to livestock, to maintain families, small scale farming families and the poorest crops, and to grow seeds. families who have no capacity to manage water storage • HHs are now forced to buy water due to water shortages. for consumption. Health • The continuing drought and heat wave have increased health concerns, especially for vulnerable groups such as women, pregnant and lactating mothers, children and elderly. • The quality of water available has decreased, e.g. due to contamination, which has been associated with an increase of communicable and water-borne diseases. Asia-Pacific Regional Overview - El Niño 4 May 2016 12 Cambodia Overview of the response (current and planned) • People in Need in partnership with Save the Children and CARE are launching a response in 20 villages in Koh Kong Province. The initial response focuses on “My family faces so many difficulties due to the water FSL and WASH interventions. shortage, especially now that I have to buy water.” • CARE International has 42,000 USD to provide Chet, a rice farmer in Mongkol Borey district’s Russei Krork livelihoods and WASH support in Koh Kong; Ratankiri; commune, explains the impacts of the drought on his family Mondulkiri; Krachi; Prey Veng.