I. DROUGHT APPEAL BACKGROUND
In July 2006, the Government of the
Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in partnership with the United Nations
prepared a Drought Appeal for USD 76.4 million to adequately address the
existing humanitarian needs and to limit further negative effects of the
drought resulting from insufficient rainfall in April and May affecting
an estimated 2.5 million people.
WFP and FAO in consultation with key government Ministries have been actively involved in the preparation of the appeal. An Emergency Response has been prepared for 1.7 million of the most severely affected individuals. The Government of Afghanistan, UN Agencies and international partners will regularly monitor the nutrition situation and conduct assessment missions to determine any further needs. WFP has requested additional donations of 81,500 mt of mixed food valued at USD 49.9 million.
II. IMPLEMENTATION AND OPERATIONS UPDATE ON DROUGHT RELIEF
To date, WFP has received donations of USD 28 million equivalent to 50,200 mt of mixed food from various donors.
During the last week, WFP assisted 14,800 drought-affected individuals with 256 mt mixed food in the Northern provinces.
III. OTHER EMERGENCY RESPONSE
Whereas the drought seriously inflicts in certain parts of the county, other parts are affected by floods. WFP assisted 3,048 individuals affected by floods in the South-Eastern province of Paktya and 180 individuals in the Eastern province of Nangarhar. Further emergency response to flood is planned for the coming week in the South-Eastern provinces of Paktya and Ghazni and the Eastern provinces of Nangarhar, Laghman and Kunar.
In the Southern region, the on-going military operations and insurgencies around Kandahar has resulted in a rise in the number of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). Of the about 1,850 families who were displaced from Khasurozgan, Chora and Tarinkot districts, many were reported to be settling in sites around Tarinkot, the capital city of Uruzgan province, whereas others returned back to their place of origin. Under the inter-agency response, WFP planned to distribute 89 mt of mixed food to 925 families, approximately 5,550 beneficiaries. The food has been dispatched in different portions, due to the prevailing security situation, on the road to Tarinkot.