Issue January 2011 I. SITUATION OVERVIEW

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1 I. SITUATION OVERVIEW Balochistan Earthquake A 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck a sparsely populated area of south-western Pakistan in the early hours of 19 January, at a depth of 84km (U.S. Geological Survey). The epicentre was 60km from the border with Afghanistan, to the west of the town of Dalbandin in Balochistan s Chagai district, though shaking was reported in major population centres including Karachi and Quetta. There have so far been no reports of fatalities or major damage to buildings, though authorities in Chagai and surrounding districts are currently carrying out assessments. IDP Vulnerability Assessment and Profiling An IDP vulnerability assessment and profiling (IVAP) exercise is underway among conflict-displaced IDPs in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK). Data collection has been completed in Peshawar, Mardan and Swabi districts, as well as Jalozai camp, and IVAP teams are currently in Charsadda and Nowshera. The data will be used to guide a shift from blanket assistance to more targeted support, based on levels of vulnerability, to conflict IDPs in these districts from next month. FATA Returns The programme of IDP returns from Kohat and Hangu districts in KPK to Orakzai agency in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) continues, though the rate of return has slowed in recent weeks as the target of 8,000 families during the current phase has almost been reached. A total of almost 18,000 displaced families have now returned to Orakzai. IDP returns to South Waziristan, in the south of FATA, have also slowed, with 1,066 families having so far returned. Flood-displaced IDPs Latest information from the camp coordination and camp management cluster indicates that approximately 170,000 flood-affected persons remain in camps and spontaneous settlements in Sindh, KPK and Balochistan. The majority of this number (128,000 persons, or 75 percent of the total) is in Sindh. These figures do not include displaced persons have returned to their areas of origin but are still unable to access their homes (e.g. due to standing water or damage to buildings) and therefore continue to depend upon emergency shelter and other relief support. Issue January 2011 A flood-affected woman with wheat seeds provided by the agriculture cluster. The cluster has provided seeds and other agricultural inputs to over half a million households. Photo: FAO Winter Action Plan in Gilgit-Baltistan Temperatures remain low throughout the country. An inter-agency Winter Survival Action Plan for Gilgit- Baltistan has been completed, setting out priority actions in terms of shelter, health, food, nutrition, WASH and coordination. The plan seeks to address residual vulnerabilities caused by the monsoon flash floods as well as potential humanitarian needs emerging from reduced access to parts of the region during the winter months. Targets include provision of shelter to approximately 3,500 of the most vulnerable families in seven districts, and food rations to a total of 25,000 families. The plan is a product of collaboration between regional and district authorities in Gilgit-Baltistan, relevant clusters, local NGOs and other humanitarian partners active in the region.

2 Village profiling in Sindh and Punjab Planning for a village profiling exercise in Sindh, led by the Provincial Disaster Management Authority and UNHCR, is at an advanced stage, with training of enumerators ongoing and data collection due to begin in Thatta district shortly. Geographical priorities for village profiling in Punjab using the Multi-Cluster Rapid Needs Assessment (MCRAM) tool have been agreed, and data collection is due to begin by the first week of February. A national MCRAM survey of needs at the community level is also planned for February as a means of monitoring progress to-date as well as informing the mid-term review of the Pakistan Floods Emergency Response Plan. Access Monitoring At the request of humanitarian partners, OCHA has launched an Access Database to monitor constraints to humanitarian operations: The database monitors interference into humanitarian activities (for example interference into beneficiary selection) and restrictions of movement (for example, problems related to NOCs or police escorts). All submitted reports are treated confidentially, and OCHA will analyse the data to compile regular reports on access trends and carry out advocacy on access constraints faced by humanitarians. Floods: Six Months On Photo Exhibition To mark the six-month anniversary of the beginning of the monsoon floods, the humanitarian community is hosting a photography exhibition at the Pakistan National Art Gallery from 29 January to 4 February. II. CLUSTER RESPONSE Agriculture Distribution of animal compound feed and de-wormers will start in the last week of January in Sindh, Punjab and Balochistan. In KPK, 18,000 households have already been reached. A total of 297,000 livestock-owning families will benefit. Distribution has started in Sindh and Punjab. Over 53,000 families have benefited so far. Cash-for-work projects to support rehabilitation of irrigation watercourses will begin next month. Priority projects are currently being identified. Just over 1,000 systems are being targeted, in KPK, Punjab and Sindh. Camp Coordination and Camp Management There are currently approximately 250 camps and spontaneous settlements hosting 170,000 people in Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkwa provinces. Slightly more than 75 percent of the total comes from Sindh. These figures do not include persons who have returned to their areas of origin but are still unable to access their homes or villages due to standing water or damage to their property and therefore remain in camplike settlements near their villages. As a transitional measure, an integrated package including a tent, NFI kit and winterization support has been developed to support these persons. The CCCM cluster is advocating for other clusters to complement this with food and WASH support, and to ensure education and health services is available to the village residents. It is also encouraging implementing partners to strengthen the community structure and maintain a time-limited monitoring coverage of the assisted villages. Currently in Sindh Province only, UNHCR with its partners is supporting more than 60,000 returnees in settlements of this nature (as distinct from camps/spontaneous settlements). Identified IDPs in camps/spontaneous settlements in Sindh (source: CCCM camp profiling exercise) District Camps Families Population % of total Jamshoro 40 4,632 32, Karachi 9 3,891 19, Qambar- Shahdadkot 36 3,218 17, Larkana 14 1,693 15, Hyderabad 15 2,259 14, Jacobabad ,472 8 Sukkur 6 1,372 9,373 7 Others (13 districts) 51 1,374 8,263 6 Provincial Total , ,

3 Over 3,000 families are displaced around the former Azakhel refugee village in KPK, which was completely destroyed in the monsoon floods. Most are staying with host families or in rented accommodation, though some have returned to Afghanistan, while others were temporarily displaced to other areas and have now started to return to Azakhel. Distribution of winterization Kits in Azakhel was completed on 11 January. UNHCR is planning for a one-day rapid survey to the former Azakhel refugee residents living in the vicinity in the following week to update the population profile there and to investigation return/relocation intentions. Community Restoration Community restoration activities are gaining momentum thanks to an encouraging response from donors. The cluster has now reached 164,748 beneficiaries (including 46,438 men, 43,064 women, 37,885 boys, and 37,361 girls) in 27 flood affected union councils. More than 10,000 persons have been provided with cash-for-work opportunities (rubble removal from 67 locations; construction of 239 culverts and 89 pathways; installation of 117 hand-pumps; and constructing 4,400 meters of drainage systems). Micro grants are supporting restoration of 251 small businesses. 61 persons with disabilities are among the cluster s beneficiaries. The cluster is planning to undertake supplementary early recovery needs assessments of the areas which have not been assessed so far. The first is planned for kacha areas of Sindh, in collaboration with NDMA and the Sindh PDMA. Education The Education Cluster continues to scale up its interventions in support of flood-affected children, and has now reached 331,595 beneficiaries (189,009 boys/males and 142,586 girls/females) through school rehabilitation, teacher training, establishment of temporary learning centres (TLCs), adult learning centres, and provision of temporary school shelters and other supplies. An additional 83 schools have been repaired during the past week, bringing the total number to ,111 students (42 percent girls) are attending these schools. A further 212,268 students are attending TLCs, in areas where damaged schools are not yet functioning. However, despite the progress that has been made, these beneficiary figures represent just 25 percent of the cluster s overall target. Additional funds are critical if the cluster is to reach the 1.3 million people, mainly girls and boys, it is seeking to assist. Food Security During the December distribution cycle, the food cluster reached over 5.2 million beneficiaries with 70,000 metric tons of food. This figure includes 1.2 million people reached through early recovery activities such as foodfor-work. Preliminary analysis from the joint WFP/FAO Flood Recovery Assessment (supported by UNIFEM and Oxfam) shows that affected districts in Sindh are now home to the highest number of food-insecure at more than 2.4 million people, followed by Punjab (1.8 million), KPK (1.2 million) and Balochistan (more than 300,000 people), of which at least 50 percent have become food insecure as a result of the floods. The cluster plans to close relief operations in the majority of flood-affected areas by mid-february, though it will continue to provide emergency relief assistance to nearly 600,000 individuals in four of the most severely-affected districts of Sindh (Dadu, Jamshoro, Jacobabad and Qamber Shahdadkot) and in one district of Balochistan (Jaffarabad) through March Health The health cluster continues to dispatch essential medicines to Gilgit-Baltistan, as part of the recentlycompleted Winter Survival Action Plan for the region. The cluster will hold an emergency meeting in Gilgit- Baltistan next week to assess current supplies and the latest information in terms of morbidity and mortality. Acute respiratory infections (ARI) continue to be the main cause of consultations reported through the cluster s disease early warning system (DEWS). To reduce both morbidity and mortality due to ARI, the cluster is supporting health authorities at the district level to ensure 24-hour care for children hospitalized with pneumonia and similar illnesses. Interventions to control ARI can be divided into four basic categories: immunization against specific pathogens, early diagnosis and treatment of disease, improvements in nutrition, and safer environments. The first two fall under the responsibility of the health system, whereas the last two require multi-sectoral involvement. The federal Expanded Programme of Immunization (EPI) is ensuring vaccination takes place, while WHO and cluster partners are providing technical and financial support for the early diagnosis and treatment of disease. The cluster plans to support 76 ARI units in public hospitals in flood-affected districts for a 2 to 3 month period.

4 A national-level survey is currently being carried out by WHO and Johns Hopkins University to examine the impact of the health cluster s interventions in flood affected areas. Logistics The cluster has facilitated the airlift of almost 12,000 metric tons of air cargo since the onset of the floods. Airlift of food and NFIs to inaccessible areas in KPK is the cluster s key priority for the coming months. Agencies seeking to avail of the cluster s services are encouraged to share plans their plans well in advance (pakistan.logs@logcluster.org). Three UNHAS helicopters are currently in Islamabad being prepared for operations in KPK, and final security arrangements for their deployment are underway. UNHAS operations in Sindh have concluded. The cluster continues to make common storage facilities available in Pattan, Sukkur, Hyderabad, Dadu, and Multan. Nutrition Significant expansion of the nutrition response has been recorded in recent weeks in KPK province, following establishment of emergency programmes in Lower Dir, Kohistan and Swat districts. Countrywide, the cluster reports that a total of 24,562 severely malnourished children and 56,901 moderately malnourished children had been admitted to 413 outpatient therapeutic programmes or stabilization centres and 402 supplementary feeding programmes (SFP) respectively, while 39,000 pregnant and lactating women are admitted in the SFP, across the country. Programme performance analysis of ongoing interventions in KPK indicate acceptable cure rates, default rates and death rates, within the SPHERE Standard references (OTP: > 75% cure rate, <10% deaths and <15% defaulting; SFP: > 75% cure rate, <3% died and <15% defaulted), with most of the beneficiaries (over 85%) leaving the programme after having been successfully treated for malnutrition. Reports of children overstaying in the programme in KPK are recorded and the reason for overstaying is being investigated. In Southern Sindh, a high default rate from nutrition programmes has been recorded, due to population movement (return to areas of origin). Programme quality improvement through a series of trainings, onthe-job coaching and field visits is ongoing. Protection According to the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA), while over 1.4 million households have been registered for compensation under the watan scheme, a further 480,000 households are still to be registered. A complaint mechanism has been set up by NADRA to deal with claimed irregularities in the process. A national helpline has also been activated. Completed post-flood protection assessments in KPK, Balochistan and Sindh are informing the HCT in the recovery phase. The findings clearly underline the need to ensure non-discrimination and equitable distribution of assistance, bearing in mind the challenges being faced by vulnerable and marginalized groups as outlined in the reports. Given the reports of sexual and gender-based violence and the lack of response capacity, a training of trainers to selected participants from all provinces has begun. Based on findings from the assessments related to children, the child-protection sub-cluster continues to deliver a range of services in flood-affected areas, including child-friendly spaces, psycho-social support, NFI distribution and family reunification. Shelter and NFIs With the majority of flood-displaced persons across the country having returned to their places of origin, the cluster s key priority is to support construction of oneroom shelters. The reach of the cluster s early recovery response continues to expand, though persons in camps, spontaneous settlements and secondary displacement sites (in areas of origin) continue to depend upon emergency shelter, particularly in the worst-affected districts in Sindh. Village-level assessments are about to be launched in Sindh and Punjab to more clearly establish where gaps remain. As early recovery activities gear up, the cluster notes a heightened risk of tension related to land ownership issues and the politicisation of aid. An agreed strategy and common approach to these issues is critical. Latest information from cluster partners indicates that total of 2,042 one-room shelters have been completed, with an additional 79,581 committed by members of the shelter cluster. 7,977 transitional shelters have been completed, with a further 53,711 having been committed by cluster partners. Progress has been significant, but these figures represent coverage of just 22 percent of the number of houses estimated to have been destroyed in the floods. Distribution of gap-filling emergency shelter continues. Tents or tarpaulins have been provided to close to 830,000 households, representing overall coverage of 48 percent (based on government estimates of the number of houses to have been damaged or destroyed).

5 Distribution of blankets, quilts and other non-food items in Muzaffargarh district, Punjab. With winter temperatures continuing to bite, scaled-up provision of winter items remains critical. Photo: IOM Blankets are also being distributed as a priority in accordance with the cluster s winterization strategy. Over the past week 80,000 blankets were distributed in Punjab, Gilgit-Balistan, Pakistan-administered Kashmir and Balochistan. Over 1.5 million blankets have been distributed to date, with a further 400,000 in the pipeline to be delivered in the next few weeks. Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Comprehensive reporting of WASH interventions remains a challenge given the large number of partners active in the cluster (currently 177), though data collection continues to improve. Latest reports indicate that the cluster as a whole has now repaired or installed over 8,000 hand pumps, as well as restoring close to 3,400 water supply schemes, ensuring long-term access to water for 3.58 million beneficiaries. Almost 31,000 latrines have also been constructed, while 782,000 hygiene kits have been distributed (providing for close to 6.8 million beneficiaries). 5.6 million people have been reached with messaging on good hygiene practices. There continues to concentration of WASH activities in KPK, however. 60 percent of beneficiaries of restored water systems are in KPK, for example. Coverage is lowest in terms of hygiene kits and restored water systems in southern Sindh (15 and 5 percent of the total beneficiaries for these interventions respectively). Additional funds are needed for the cluster to expand its interventions in the south of the country as required. WASH damage and needs assessments due to begin next month will provide critical information about outstanding WASH gaps. III. FUNDING Latest levels of funding of the Pakistan Floods Emergency Response Plan are as follows:

6 Grants totalling $20.65 million have now been approved for funding from the Pakistan Emergency Response Fund. 60 projects from 8 clusters or sectors have so far benefitted, of which 25 percent are focused on shelter/nfis and 45 percent involve WASH support. With just over $34.5 million so far committed to the fund, almost $10.9 million remains. Projects to assist conflict-affected populations in KPK and FATA continue. Discussions with the Government of Pakistan about the future of the Pakistan Humanitarian Response Plan 2010, which provided a strategic framework for these interventions last year, are ongoing. Regularly updated information on humanitarian funding for Pakistan is available on OCHA s Financial Tracking Service, at: CONTACT INFORMATION OCHA, Islamabad Manuel Bessler Head of Office bessler@un.org Stacey Winston Public Information winston@un.org Shane Doherty Reporting dohertys@un.org OCHA, New York Severine Rey Desk Officer rey@un.org OCHA, Geneva Thierry Delbreuve Desk Officer delbreuve@un.org