Koshi River Floods in Sunsari and Saptari OCHA Appeal and Situation Report No.6 Kathmandu, 28 August 2008 This situation report is based on information received from the OCHA Office in Biratnagar, UN Agencies and humanitarian partner organisations. I. Situation in Sunsari and Saptari Districts, Eastern August there were roughly 21,300 people in shelters in Nepal Inaruwa, the District HQ of Sunsari, and other VDCs of Sunsari as well as in shelters in Saptari district. 1) Flooding: The Koshi River continues to erode the embankment it broke through on 18 August (see earlier 9) In Saptari, a household level survey is being carried out by Situation Reports) and has effectively altered its course. Oxfam, UNICEF, WFP and UNFPA, and the total number The river now flows to a large part through the broken of displaced persons is expected to be over 4,000 families embankment passing several VDCs in Nepal and into on the Saptari side alone. The displaced are currently Bihar, where it has flooded up to 1,000 villages to the east staying in Bhardaha, Joginiya-2 and Hanumannagar VDCs of its previous course and affected reportedly more than a and along the highway and embankments of the Koshi million people. River. Some displaced persons are also reported in schools of Porrtaha and Kanchanpur. A section of displaced 2) In Nepal, four VDCs in Sunsari district remain essentially settlements on the highway is not accessible by road. under water: (Shree)Haripur and Shripur(javdi), as well as Saptari also hosts a number of affected people from Birpur, the Western parts of Laukihi and Paschhim Kushaha Lalpur and Fatehpur in Supaul district in Bihar/India. remain completely flooded. Other VDCs in the area (Bhokraha, Madhuwan, Narshigha, Bashntapur and II. Humanitarian Response Dhuskighat) have experienced some limited flooding and are hosting displaced people. Saptari District has not been 10) Ongoing and completed assessments: Initial flooded as such, but has seen an influx of flood displaced assessments by the Government and aid agencies have people, in particular to Bhardaha and Hanumannagar. been completed, and the relief operation is in full swing. All available assessments are being shared with relevant 3) The East West highway remains impassable and may take counterparts and are posted on the UN Information considerable time to repair. The flood has caused Platform designated floods website. significant damages to other infrastructure, including phone lines and installations. In India, electrical 11) Actors on the ground: The Government continues to transmitter facilities have been damaged, causing Nepal to take the lead in coordinating the relief efforts. The District introduce a temporary load-shedding schedule of 16 hours Disaster Relief Committees (DDRC) of Sunsari and Saptari per week, up from 7 hours. have been mobilized in this regard. A series of senior Government officials have visited the area and have called 4) Technical assessments and repair efforts are under way. on the Nepali population to provide generous Initial assessments focus on repairing the road contributions to the relief effort, and have directed the connections. It appears that it will be necessary to redirect government on the ground to maximize their efforts in the river back into its original bed in order to remove the order to provide effective and tangible relief to all affected flow of water into the flooded areas and begin the repair of persons. The MoHA has also deployed the Joint Secretary damaged infrastructure and housing constructions. responsible for disaster relief to reinforce the government‘s response on the ground. 5) Displacement: The Government (Ministry of Home Affairs - MoHA) estimates that at least 70,000 people are 12) UN agencies as well as humanitarian organizations have affected by the flooding in the area. Although figures of followed developments closely from the outset and have displaced persons still differ somewhat according to mobilized a full-fledged coordinated relief effort on the various estimates, a minimum of 45,000 persons are in ground. Working through a cluster system and need of shelter and humanitarian assistance. coordinated, with the help of OCHA‘s presence in both districts, in daily contact group meetings, services have 6) In addition to the persons displaced from VDCs in Sunsari been extended to the flood affected population with a focus District, the number of flood displaced persons from on shelter, food, water and sanitation, as well as health Supaul district in Bihar, India, has been reported to be services. considerable. MoHA estimates the number at 3-5,000, while other estimates are higher, reaching a total of 13) UNICEF, WHO, WFP, UNFPA, OHCHR and UNHCR have 10,000. MoHA has confirmed that humanitarian all sent staff to the affected areas since 19 August. OCHA assistance will be provided on equal terms to those in line has set up a temporary presence in both Saptari (Rajbiraj) with international principles. and Sunsari (Inaruwa). The Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator is planning to visit the area in support of the 7) There is as of yet no official report about human casualties relief efforts on Friday, 29 August. or missing persons. A total of 21 persons have been reported missing to NRCS as of 25 August. 14) The Nepal Red Cross Society (NRCS) has taken a lead role in the mobilization of volunteers, collection of data, 8) A large section of the displaced persons have been brought registration, provision of relief efforts, coordination among to or have otherwise found their way to the approximately agencies and provision of first aid services for displaced 27 shelters in Sunsari and Saptari districts. As of 28 persons, among other things. Koshi floods in Sunsari and Saptari / OCHA Appeal and Situation Report No.6 / 28 August 2008 1 15) LWF, ActionAID, British Nepal Medical Trust, UMN, Plan 24) On 24 August, the CDO (DDRC) agreed with agencies to International, Save the Children, World Vision, Care take the lead for camp coordination and management. UN Nepal, Caritas, Nepal Christian Relief Society, IRC, Oxfam, agencies (UNICEF, UNFPA, UNOCHA) and I/NGOs RRN, Concern, Merlin, DEPROSC, RRN, KVS and a (Oxfam, Concern) are in discussion with the CDO on how number of others are present and involved in the relief the coordination mechanism can be further improved, and effort. Among local organizations Madvari Seva Samiti, how camp coordination and management gaps can be Nepal Agrawal Samaj and Madvari Mahila Manch are also filled. involved. Political parties have also been involved in the relief efforts and have mobilized supplies. 25) With regard to the sites for the interim camps to be established in the coming days for an interim period, land will need to be identified and assessed. NRCS has 16) Within most sectors (food, nutrition, health and water/sanitation, protection/child protection, education), recommended that a minimum of 30 square meters be leadership has been established through the cluster available for each family. system, and cluster leads have taken the lead in conducting assessments and collecting information, as 26) CARE has distributed 500 NFI sets to 500 families (3,000 well as coordinating with involved agencies. Camp persons) on the Saptari side, which include clothes for management is also emerging as a major issue. adults and children, baby clothes, jugs and buckets, blankets, tarpaulins, a sanitary kit, a mat and kitchen utensils. 17) Please see the attached matrix for distributed, available and potential resources. 27) Food: Immediate food needs have been met with locally available food stocks and donations from a number of 18) Emergency Shelter and NFIs: Shelter has been a more organisations and private contributors, in particular problematic area due to the enormity of the challenge to through NRCS. As an initial response, WFP will provide a provide adequate shelter to a large number of displaced 15-day food basket consisting of rice, pulses, salt and families. Upon request from the government authorities in vegetable oil to 50,000 flood victims. WFP is prepared to 23 August, NRCS has agreed to hold shelter coordination provide food for up to 30 days for families who cannot meetings at district level, and will start to do so next week. return to their homes because of high water levels. Distribution is scheduled to begin in Saptari this week, and 19) At present, 21,264 persons are registered in 27 shelters in next week in Sunsari. Sunsari district, according to NRCS. In addition, some 22,000 are in makeshift shelters in Saptari and on the 28) Strikes in Nawalparasi and other locations along the East- Western side of Sunsari accessible from Saptari.1 The relief West Highway are delaying trucks carrying WFP efforts have been concentrated at the shelters. Security is humanitarian food relief to flood victims. WFP has begun provided for by the authorities, but is still less than escorting trucks through this section of the highway. In a required in some locations. A considerable number of press release, WFP has urged people not to block its food people is also still deprived of shelter but remains difficult deliveries. to account for. Some people are forced to stay in the tents prepared from saris and other clothes. 29) The European Commission‘s Humanitarian Aid department (ECHO) made an early commitment of US$ 1.5 20) Many of the shelters are still overcrowded, and there is a million. The contribution will cover the costs of food shortage of adequate sleeping mats (especially for assistance for 50,000 people for up to 30 days, as well as children), private areas, separated areas and bathrooms some post-flood recovery activities. Based on initial for women, areas for children, and toilet facilities. assessments, WFP estimates that it will need an additional US$3 to US$5 million in contributions to meet longer- 21) NRCS has deployed volunteers to each camp/shelter term food needs and to provide livelihood support and location.