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Bangladesh + 4 more

Asia and the Pacific: Weekly Regional Humanitarian Snapshot (14 - 20 November 2017)

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Bangladesh

As of 18 November, 621,000 Rohingya refugees have crossed the border to Bangladesh since the outbreak of violence in Rakhine State (Myanmar) on 25 August. Water, sanitation and hygiene conditions in the camps and makeshift settlements remains a concern. Lack of sanitation facilitations, poor water quality and overcrowded conditions has increased the risk of public health hazards. Reception areas near the border crossing points have very limited safe water and sanitation facilities. The refugees are receiving bottled water and WASH sector partners are providing mobile sanitation facilities. As part of the acute watery diarrhoea preparedness plan, partners are prepositioning contingency supplies which includes water purification tablets, chlorine powder and NFI kits.

Viet Nam

The Viet Nam Central Steering Committee on Natural Disaster Prevention and Control reported that Typhoon Damrey has caused 104 deaths and destroyed or damaged an estimated 141,100 houses as of 14 November. Joint Government, UN and NGO teams completed damage assessments on 16 November. Damrey is estimated to have caused a total damage of around US$600 million. On 19 November Tropical Storm Kirogi struck Viet Nam, impacting many of the areas affected by Typhoon Damrey. Flood warnings are currently in place for rivers in the Central Highlands and Dong Nai. As of 20 November, the storm had moved west to Cambodia.

Myanmar

The number of internally displaced people in Rakhine State remains difficult to verify. The UN World Food Programme resumed some food distribution activities in Maungdaw and Buthidaung as of 6 November, reaching over 11,200 people, in addition to those receiving rations from the Red Cross. Access remains restricted for most humanitarian actors in northern Rakhine, preventing them from reaching many people in need. In central Rakhine, humanitarian organizations also continue to face access constraints which are affecting their ability to deliver life-saving assistance in camps and villages.

Since 1 November, some 330 people have fled fighting between the Myanmar Military and the Arakan Army near Kon Pyin village in Paletwa, Chin State, according to local authorities.

New Caledonia

On 19 November, a 7.0 magnitude earthquake was recorded 82 km east of the Loyalty Islands in New Caledonia. The tremor temporarily triggered a tsunami warning for coastal areas of New Caledonia and Vanuatu. No significant damage has been reported. Several strong tremors over 6.0 in magnitude have hit New Caledonia over the past weeks.

Afghanistan

As of 19 November, a total of 344,000 people were displaced due to conflict in Afghanistan, up by 5,850 people compared to the previous week. Nangarhar, Kunduz, Badghis and Baghlan provinces are sheltering most internally displaced people. With temperatures dropping across the country, winterization assistance has started for the most vulnerable families. An estimated 78,000 families need assistance to get through winter.

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