GLIDE TC-2007-000208-BGD
Period covered by this Operations Update: 7 January 2008 to 23 January 2008
This Emergency Appeal seeks CHF 24,483,160 (USD 22.2 million or EUR 15 million) in cash, kind, or services to support the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society to assist 243,000 families (1,215,000 beneficiaries) over two years from the date.
Appeal coverage: 56%
A Preliminary Appeal was launched for CHF 3,989,305 on 16 November 2007 to mobilize immediate relief assistance.
CHF 250,000 was allocated from the Federation's Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) to support this operation. Unearmarked funds to replenish DREF are encouraged.
This operation is to be implemented over a two-year period and is expected to be completed by November 2009. A Final Report will be made available three months after the end of the operation.
Summary:
A catastrophic cyclone tore through southern Bangladesh on 15 November 2007, inflicting heavy damage on property and infrastructure in up to 30 districts in the country. The destruction affected approximately 8.9 million people, resulting in large-scale humanitarian needs in the country, especially in the five primary areas of food, shelter, health, water and sanitation and livelihood.
The distribution for food and non-food commodities is ongoing in the nine districts of the cyclone-affected areas, and will begin in an additional four districts soon, bringing the total of relief distributions to 72,900 families. While relief activities continue, the main focus is gradually shifting to early recovery activities.
Since 27 December 2007, up to 14 medical teams were sent to the field to treat patients Some of these teams have returned, while others will stay until the end of this month in the affected districts. Reports have confirmed that a total of 111,304 medical cases were treated between 26 November 2007 to 15 January 2008. Oral rehydration solutions (ORS) packets and hygiene parcel distribution is ongoing, together with food and nonfood items. An assessment in coordination with the Bagerhat health unit in the affected communities is being carried out to develop an integrated approach for community-based health promotion and first aid.
Shelter recovery is well under way, with the construction of the first batch of 250 core houses in the district of Bagerhat currently being carried out. Monitoring and evaluations through the test-case concluded that the materials and techniques brought to the beneficiaries need to be reviewed, due to the quality and structure of the test unit. In addition, it was felt that the qualitative wood in great quantities will be difficult to guarantee. Evaluations of the first shelter built also concluded the exact sizes and forms of fixings to be used for the wooden structure. The plan of action will be updated according to the conclusions of the test-case in the upcoming weeks. Toolkits to support rebuilding for 30,000 partially damaged houses have already arrived in the Barisal office warehouse.
Water safety still remains a concern in water-scarce areas where pond sand filter (PSF) and/or household-level treatment of surface water is not fully functional. Priority is therefore being given to sustainable water supply operation, and supply of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH)-related non-food items (NFIs) to these areas. Sanitation remains a priority, with most of the damage to pit-latrine superstructure in affected areas. Posters illustrating good hygiene practices have been distributed in the project area. Additionally, various trainings on PSF have been given.
Strategic planning workshops for the recovery phase were conducted on 20 and 24 January in Barisal and Dhaka. Details of the outcome of the workshop will be reported in the next operations update.
Since the launch of the Appeal, international response has been positive. The plan of action prepared by the BDRCS with the support of the delegation and field assessment and coordination team (FACT) has been circulated. However, revision of the plan of action may take place depending upon the financial situation and the operational need.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of those who have contributed or pledged to this Appeal. However, there is still a need for further contributions to enable BDRCS/Federation to deliver the planned assistance as laid out in this Appeal.
The situation
Over nine weeks have passed since the onslaught of Cyclone Sidr. Food, shelter, sanitation and drinking water, adequate clothing and blankets (due to cold weather) still represent the highest priority areas for assistance. The situation is exacerbated by rising international prices for essential commodities, fuel costs and food prices in Bangladesh, an impoverished nation of over 150 million inhabitants that have become prohibitively high for many people.
The staple food item in the country is rice. According to the Bangladeshi agriculture ministry, almost all the rice waiting for harvesting in the affected areas has been destroyed, calculated as approximately 800,000 tonnes of rice crops worth over USD 290 million (approximately CHF 316 million). The agriculture ministry's final damage assessment report shows the overall shortfall in 'Aman' rice production for the current fiscal year to the end of June 2008 to be 1.4 million tonnes. Additionally, shrimp farms and other crops were washed away, livestock were killed, and salt beds inundated in 15 of the country's 19 coastal districts.
As survivors struggle to rebuild their lives, the livelihoods of those living behind embankments that have yet to be repaired are now under threat. Millions of people in cyclone-affected Bangladesh face an increased risk of hunger unless an intricate network of protective river embankments is repaired to protect the residents from tidal flooding and saline intrusion.
Among the affected people hundreds of children, if not more, are now believed to have been orphaned due to the cyclone killing more than 3,000 people and rendering millions more homeless. According to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), of the total number of affected people, approximately half are children and an estimated half a million of them are under the age of five. The exact number of children orphaned by Cyclone Sidr has yet to be properly assessed, with many reportedly staying with relatives and friends.
For further information specifically related to this operation please contact:
Bangladesh Red Crescent Society: Mr. M. Shafiul Alam (secretary- general), email: bdrcs@bangla.net, phone: +88.02.935.2226.
Country delegation in Bangladesh: Mr. Selvaratnam Sinnadurai (head of delegation), email: selvaratnam.sinnadurai@ifrc.org, phone: +88.02.933.7314, fax: +88.02.934.1631.
South Asia regional delegation in Delhi: Mr. Al Panico (head of regional delegation), email: al.panico@ifrc.org, phone: +91 11 2411 1122, fax: +91 11 2411 1128.
Asia Pacific zone office in Kuala Lumpur: disaster management unit: Mr. Latifur Rahman (regional disaster management delegate), email: latifur.rahman@ifrc.org; phone: + 60 3 2161 0892, mobile; +60 12 975 0144; regional logistics unit: Mr Jeremy Francis (regional logistics coordinator), jeremy.francis@ifrc.org, phone: +60 3 2628 2707, fax: +60 3 2168 8573
Secretariat in Geneva: Christine South (operations coordinator), email: christine.south@ifrc.org, phone: +41.22.730.4529, fax: +41.22.733.0395