PAKISTAN – IOM, Partners, Direct More Shelter Supplies to South – IOM and shelter cluster partner agencies are directing more incoming aid to southern Sindh, where rising floodwaters running parallel to the Indus River have caused fresh displacement in Dadu district.
With shelter needs increasing by the day in Sindh and Punjab, shelter agencies are rapidly expanding emergency operations in both provinces. The move marks a shift away from Khyber Phaktunkhwa (KPK) to the north.
In Sindh, the scene of the worst devastation, an estimated 6.9 million (out of 18.6 million people nationwide) have been affected by the floods, according to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA). According to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), at least 1.25 million houses nationwide have been damaged or destroyed.
“The number of people in need of emergency shelter is now estimated at 8.75 million and growing as more areas are submerged. The shelter cluster agencies, which are coordinated by IOM, have so far reached about 1.83 million people. That leaves over 6.92 million people living in extreme conditions without basic shelter,” says IOM Regional Representative for West and Central Asia Hassan Abdel Moneim Mostafa.
In Sindh’s Dadu district, thousands have been evacuated from the towns of Mehar and Juhi in recent days to some 300 government displacement camps in the district or further south in Jamshoro and Hyderabad districts.
Today IOM and local NGO partners will complete the distribution of 2,000 shelter and household kits in the district. Over the weekend, a further 1,000 shelter kits were distributed in Badin district and 5,480 in Thatta district.
IOM and partner agencies are now distributing shelter materials in Ghotki, Kashmore, Jacobabad, Shahdad Kot, Larkana, Thatta and Dadu districts.
Akram Chand, a 30-year old father of five, lost his house in Lakhu Mul village over a month ago when the floods submerged much of northern Sindh. The family is now living with 100 other families in a makeshift settlement at Khawra Stop near Ghotki town under US-donated plastic sheet given to them by IOM.
“We faced a double disaster. First heavy rains brought down our houses and then the rest was swept away by the floods when canal banks broke. All we have received in aid so far are these plastic sheets, blankets and kitchen sets from IOM,” he says.
While shelter needs remain vast in Sindh, tens of thousands of families in Punjab are also still living in the open and waiting for help to arrive.
Over the weekend this came in the form of 23,345 tents and shelter kits, together with essential household items, which IOM handed over to NGO partners including Muslim Hands, ACTED, Caritas, People In Need Foundation, DASE Organization and NRSP for distribution in Rajanpur, DG Khan, Multan and other Punjab districts.
Thousands of families in Khyber Phaktunkhwa (KPK) also still need help. A recently completed IOM assessment in KPK identified 1,400 families in need of emergency shelter kits, blankets, buckets and jerry cans, which IOM will distribute in the coming days.
IOM is also ramping up its mass communications programme, which informs flood victims of humanitarian services and prevention measures against water-borne diseases.
As part of the programme, public service announcements on health, water and sanitation improvement are currently being aired on FM radio channels in Malakand and tribal areas over a two-week period.
For more information on IOM’s activities in Pakistan, to download the IOM Appeal or to donate to IOM’s flood response, please go to: http://www.iom.int/jahia/Jahia/pakistan.
For information on the Emergency Shelter Cluster, please go to: http://sites.google.com/site/shelterpak2010/.
For additional information please contact IOM Islamabad. Saleem Rehmat, Tel. +92.3008560341. Email: srehmat@iom.int. Or Eliane Engeler. Tel: +92.300 852 635, Email: engeler.iom@gmail.com
IRAQ – Majority of Displaced and Returnee Families in Iraq Struggle to Rebuild Lives According to IOM Bi-Annual Report – Food and access to work remain the most pressing needs of families that were forced to flee their homes during the sectarian violence that followed the 2006 Samarra mosque bombing in Iraq according to an IOM bi-annual review of displacement and return, released today.
According to the Review of Displacement and Return in Iraq long-term solutions are still needed for families who have been displaced for years, and ongoing support for those returning to their communities is crucial to ensuring successful reintegration.
The report reveals that, despite security improvements since 2006, life for many of Iraq’s internally displaced (IDP) and returnee families remains a struggle, due to a lack of sufficient access to basic services and work opportunities.
Some families returning to their neighbourhoods have secured shelter and education for their children, but many returnees still say they lack sufficient food, water and healthcare necessary to ensure a successful reintegration. Employment is also a major issue for returnees, IDPs and host communities alike who are trying to build stable livelihoods in Iraq. In governorates such as Anbar and Kerbala over 94% of IDP families report that access to work is a priority need. This contrasts with areas such as Sulaymaniyah and Najaf, where just 41% and 45% of families (respectively) cite the same need.
Though unemployment and underemployment affect all Iraqis, displaced families are particularly sensitive to changes in family income. As a result, the latest report finds that many IDP families in Iraq are struggling to satisfy the nutritional needs of their family members amid rising food prices. Health concerns have also been exacerbated in recent years by water scarcity which has deepened sanitation and hygiene problems throughout the country.
Access to shelter is also highlighted as an area of continued concern for IDP and returnee families. Amidst continuously rising rent costs, families without a reliable source of income risk losing their accommodation. The report also highlights that more than 15% of IDPs are living in public buildings or collective town settlements where they are vulnerable to evictions from local authorities. The threat of secondary displacement threatens to erase the progress made by many families towards rebuilding their lives, the report says.
According to the report, female headed households, even more vulnerable to the above mentioned challenges, account for 1 in 8 displaced families in Iraq and have difficult access to health, legal aid and protection services.
“This report highlights the challenges still facing the people of Iraq”, said IOM Iraq Chief of Mission Michael Pillinger. It is crucial for the international community to continue to support Iraqis through this fragile period of transition”.
Though sectarian violence and the related displacement have decreased since 2006, ongoing support to displaced families is important to secure their long-term stability according to the findings. The report is based on quantitative and qualitative assessments with 212,000 IDP and 66,555 returnee families, undertaken in cooperation with the Ministry of Displacement and Migration (MoDM) and monitored by IOM.
The latest IOM report also identifies changing intentions among IDP families. In 2006, 25% of IDP families interviewed said that they wanted to integrate in their current locations. This year, that proportion has increased to 37%. Those Iraqi families that no longer wish to return to their former neighbourhoods require help to integrate in their adoptive communities, whilst many of those who intend to return home or relocate elsewhere need assistance to do so.
IOM staff in Iraq have been monitoring the needs and intentions of IDP, returnee and host community families in cooperation with MoDM since 2003. This vital information helps IOM, the Government of Iraq and humanitarian partners to develop initiatives that target the specific needs of Iraq’s most vulnerable populations. Funding for monitoring activities is provided by OFDA, AusAID, PRM and the Government of Germany.
To access the latest IOM Review of Displacement and Return in Iraq, please visit: http://www.iomiraq.net/iomdmyear.html
For further information, please contact: Torsten Haschenz, IOM Iraq, Tel: +962 79 551 1744, E-mail: thaschenz@iom.int
