USAID/OFDA Southern Somalia

UNCLAS NAIROBI 001881 SIPDIS AIDAC AFDROUGHT SIPDIS STATE FOR NGAREY STATE PASS TO USAID/W USAID/W FOR AA/DCHA, WGARVELINK, LROGERS DCHA/OFDA FOR GGOTTLIEB, PMORRIS, CGOTTSCHALK, KCHANNELL DCHA/FFP FOR JDWORKEN, MANDERSON AFR/EA FOR JBORNS USUN FOR EMALY ADDIS ABABA FOR JAUGSBERGER BRUSSELS FOR PLERNER ROME FOR FODAG GENEVA FOR NKYLOH NSC FOR JMELINE, TSHORTLEY E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAID SO SUBJECT: USAID/OFDA Southern Somalia Humanitarian Update (CORRECTED COPY TO NAIROBI 01875) REF: NAIROBI 01875 Summary ¶1. Somalia is experiencing the worst drought in a decade, compounded by the effects of fifteen years of armed conflict that has destroyed public infrastructure and basic services, and stressed the population?s coping strategies. The majority of the 2.1 million drought-affected people resides in southern Somalia, where two successive failed rainy seasons resulted in the depletion of water and pasture, near crop failure, increased livestock mortality, and irregular population migration. Malnutrition is increasing, as are opportunistic illnesses, such as diarrhea, respiratory infections, measles, and polio. Resource-based tensions have flared as pastoralists and farmers vie for scarce water. Thankfully, the rains have arrived, providing a slight reprieve to the affected population; however, continued rains are required for the population to fully recover. USAID Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA) partners are working diligently to provide emergency assistance in the challenging environment. Humanitarian assistance will be required until the end of 2006 and USAID/OFDA is preparing to expand operations in the most affected areas. End summary. Malnutrition Rising While food insecurity is chronic throughout southern Somalia, malnutrition rates and admissions to feeding programs have risen in recent months. In Gedo Region, the USAID-supported Food Security Analysis Unit (FSAU) Nutrition Surveillance Unit conducted a 30 by 30 cluster nutrition survey in late March, in collaboration with non- governmental organizations (NGOs) and U.N. agencies operating in the region. The findings reveal global acute malnutrition (GAM) of 23.8 percent and severe acute malnutrition of 3.7 percent, indicating a critical nutrition situation for nearly one quarter of the children under five. According to FSAU, the current GAM rate is higher than the estimated long-term average of 20 percent in the region. Therapeutic feeding centers (TFCs) supported by the Gedo Health Consortium also report increased admissions in recent months. In Bay Region, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) Switzerland conducted a similar nutrition survey in Qansaxdhere District in January, revealing GAM and SAM rates of 19.4 percent and 1.8 percent, respectively. FSAU sentinel site data from other districts in Bay Region indicate consistently high malnutrition, between 10 and 20 percent, among children under five. FSAU reports that food distributions by USAID partners CARE and the U.N. World Food Program (WFP) have improved food consumption and increased dietary diversity throughout Bay, raising hopes for improved nutrition in coming weeks. In Bakool Region, FSAU, Action Contre la Faim (ACF),and the U.N. Children?s Fund (UNICEF) conducted nutritional surveys in Wajid District in January, reporting GAM and SAM rates of 14.7 percent and 2.2 percent, respectively. Also in January, International Medical Corps (IMC), UNICEF, and FSAU carried out assessments outside of Wajid District that indicate 15.9 percent GAM and 1.4 percent SAM rates. The malnutrition levels are consistent with results from the last formal survey conducted in Bakool in 2002, indicating chronic malnutrition. Between January and March, however, USAID/OFDA partners report that admissions to TFCs and supplementary feeding centers (SFCs) have risen in Bakool Region due to in-migration of malnourished children from other regions and increased morbidity among the population. FSAU sentinel sites in Bakool report fluctuating nutrition trends in April with pockets of improvement thanks to in-migration of livestock and increase of milk consumption following the rains. Other sites, however, are experiencing a decrease in milk availability as pastoralists and livestock return to Ethiopia. In Juba Valley Region, FSAU sentinel site surveillance reveals that approximately 15 percent of riverine commumnities present signs of malnutrition. The figure is slightly better than in neighboring Gedo, Bay, and Bakool regions. FSAU attributes the lower rates in Juba Valley to higher consumption and sale of mangos that were in season, sale of vegetables and food to in- migrating pastoralists, access to milk from these pastoralists, and improved availability of cereals thanks to the recessional harvest of late 2005 and food distributions by WFP. MSF Holland reports that TFC admissions in Juba Valley are consistent with seasonal fluctuations. In response to increasing reports of malnutrition in southern Somalia, UNICEF is opening 18 new supplementary feeding programs (SFPs) in Bay, Bakool, and Middle Juba regions in partnership with international and local NGOs. ACF, MSF Belgium, and IMC are also implementing five new TFCs in Bakool. According to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), 28 SFPs and 7 TFCs will be operational in southern Somalia by May. Drought Affecting Health Malnourished and drought-weakened communities are increasingly susceptible to opportunistic illnesses. U.N. World Health Organization (WHO) health surveillance data reveals increasing cases of diarrhea, malaria, and respiratory infections in recent months. In March, USAID-supported Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) traveled to Gedo Region and reported that 45 people had died as a direct consequence of the drought; due to malnutrition, lack of water, or water-borne diseases. Ten people had died after drinking water from shallow wells in two villages in El Wak District. Gedo residents, concerned about contaminated water, rely solely on water trucking for their water. Polio resurfaced in Somalia for the first time since 2002. WHO confirmed 202 wild polio cases since July 2005, of which 19 cases were identified in 2006. Early cases appeared in Mogadishu; however, the most recent cases were confirmed in drought-affected Gedo, Lower Shabelle, Bay, and Lower Juba regions. In response, UNICEF, WHO, and partner NGOs launched a nationwide polio immunization campaign in March, targeting 1.4 million children. A second round is planned for early May. WHO also reported an increase in measles cases treated at health facilities in recent months. In March, UNICEF and partners embarked on a large-scale measles vaccination campaign, targeting 2.5 million children in central and southern Somalia. UNICEF and partners carried out similar campaigns in Somaliland and Puntland earlier in 2006. Water Remains Scarce Access to safe water is a cross-cutting issue, affecting livelihoods, agriculture, health, and nutrition. Two successive failed rainy seasons have severely depleted water sources for the population dependent on subsistence agriculture and pastoralism. Even in normal times, the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) estimates that only 30 percent of the population in Somalia has access to safe water. FEWS NET reports that current expenditure on water, and other non-food items, counts for 80 to 90 percent of poor and middle income households expenditure, up from 30 to 40 percent in normal years. From April 15 to 20, USAID/OFDA partner Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) carried out a needs assessment in Dinsor District, Bay Region. Communities visited site water as their most critical need. ADRA reports that only three to four liter of water are available per person per day, which is far less than the 15 liters recommended by international humanitarian standards. Most villages reported that drinking water sources are between 8 to 20 kilometers away and that many women were forced to walk this distance on a daily basis for water. U.N. agencies report similar conditions throughout drought-affected districts. U.N. agencies, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC),and international and local NGOs are carrying out a wide variety of emergency water interventions in southern Somalia. Projects include water catchment and dam desilting, well chlorination, enhancements of hand dug and shallow wells, rehabilitation of boreholes, repair and construction of latrines, construction of new well and boreholes, and water trucking. USAID/OFDA has partnered with UNICEF to carry out emergency water interventions in affected communities throughout Somalia. USAID/OFDA partners ACF, World Concern, and ADRA are rehabilitating existing water catchments and wells and digging new wells in Bakool and Middle Juba regions. USAID/OFDA is currently reviewing proposals for additional interventions in Gedo, Bay, and Lower Juba regions. Depleted Livestock, Agriculture, and Livelihoods Limited access to potable water remains critical and household food security is stressed. Scarce water and pasture resulted in irregular population movements during the dry season, as people and livestock migrated in search of water. USAID/OFDA partners reported increased presence of pastoralists and livestock in agricultural, riverine areas, resulting in increased tension and resource-based conflict among the two communities. USAID/OFDA partners note that cattle deaths were above normal levels for the dry season. While exact figures are difficult to ascertain, estimates are as high as 80 percent mortality among cattle and 50 percent among goats and sheep in parts of Gedo and Lower Juba regions. Simultaneously, livestock prices dropped and cereal prices escalated. According to FEWS NET, in Gedo Region a cow in good condition sells for less than half the normal price for this time of year; down to 70 U.S. dollars (USD) from USD 150. To mitigate the effects of high livestock mortality and low prices, destocking programs were initiated. Since January, the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) has destocked approximately 30,000 animals in the most affected regions. The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is targeting an additional 5,000 animals for destocking in Gedo, Juba Valley, and Bakool regions. USAID/OFDA partner World Concern, operational in Juba riverine areas, reports that agro- pastoralists and agriculturalists are preparing farms for planting; however, a critical shortage of seed is hampering efforts. Due to the limited availability and high prices of cereals during the dry period, farmers consumed much of their seed stock. To help prepare farmers for the current planting season, World Vision and FAO plan to provide seeds to vulnerable farmers in Qansaxdhere District in Bay Region and Jilib, Buale, and Sakow districts in Middle Juba Region. ACF and ICRC are also distributing seeds provided by FAO in Bakool Region. In total, ICRC and FAO will target an estimated 45,000 households for seeds and planting materials, in addition to the smaller-scale endeavors of local and international NGOs. Rains Begin The long rains arrived in full force in April in parts southern and northwest Somalia, bringing slight relief to the drought-affected population. According to FEWS NET, good rains fell in the southern regions of Gedo, Lower and Middle Juba, and parts of Lower Shabelle, Bay, and Bakool regions. FEWS NET reports that rainfall was 60 to 100 percent above normal between March 1 and April 20 throughout much of southern Somalia. Heavy rains fell during the first ten days (dekad) of April, with cumulative rainfall levels reaching up to 100 mm in some parts of Gedo, Middle and Lower Juba, and Bay regions. However, rains are poorly distributed with some districts reporting only scant showers. According to FEWS NET, during the last week of April, rainfall levels varied in southern Somalia from below 10 mm in some areas to over 150 mm in others. Localized flash floods occurred along the Juba and Shabelle rivers as a result of the heavy rainfall, dry soil, poor drainage, and bursting riverbanks. FEWS NET and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) are monitoring for riverine floods, especially as the Juba and Shabelle rivers receive continued runoff from the Ethiopia highlands. USAID/OFDA patners report that scattered rains are replenishing water sources and pastoralists are returning to traditional grazing lands away from the congested riverine areas, reducing competition for resources there. Vegetation and browse conditions are slowly improving in heavy rainfall areas; however, continued rain is needed for full regeneration of pasture. While some pastoralists are beginning to return to grazing areas, many are still gathered at major water points in Bakool and Bay regions where USAID/OFDA partners IMC, World Vision, and ADRA report pockets of below normal rainfall. According to World Vision, in the agricultural districts of Tieglow, Huddor, El Barde, many farmers dry planted in anticipation of coming rains, but risk losing the seeds if sufficient rain does not materialize. USAID/OFDA partners indicate that rains tapered off significantly in late April, allowing farmers to plant and crops to germinate. Consistent rains in May will be essential to secure a good harvest. Conclusions and Recommendations Although the long rainy season is generally off to a good start, it is still too early to determine the overall performance of the season. Distressed populations and weakened livestock will continue to be vulnerable during the rainy season, which presents additional health and livelihood risks. According to FEWS NET, at least two consecutive, good rainy seasons are needed for any significant livestock reproduction. The humanitarian situation and response in southern Somalia requires close monitoring, particularly due to the constantly changing security environment. USAID will continue to monitor humanitarian conditions and plan interventions accordingly. If the long rains are below normal, increased numbers of vulnerable populations will face a humanitarian catastrophe with famine conditions likely emerging within the next few months. However, even if rains are good, continued emergency assistance will be required until the end of 2006 due to the severely depleted livelihood assets in the drought-affected regions. Food assistance will be vital throughout the year to prevent a further increases in malnutrition. USAID Food for Peace should continue efforts to import food through all available ports, regardless of insecurity. Aside from food assistance, USAID/OFDA, through partner UNICEF, is addressing emergent water, health, and nutrition needs throughout drought prone regions. USAID/OFDA will continue to support ACF, ADRA, World Concern, and IMC to implement water and sanitation, health and nutrition, and livelihood support programs in Bakool and Middle Juba regions. USAID/OFDA should negotiate with current and potential partners to scale up programs in the most affected districts of Gedo, Juba Valley, and Bay regions. In addition to support for water, health, and nutrition, livelihood support programs are critical at this time. Cash for work, cash grants, and livestock support programs will help pastoralist and agricultural communities cope with the multiple shocks incurred by the drought. USAID should promote these interventions among current and potential partners in southern Somalia. BELLAMY