India - Earthquake Summary Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year (FY) 2001

Background

On January 26, at approximately 8:46 AM local time, an earthquake measuring 7.7 on the Richter Scale occurred in western India. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) places the epicenter of the earthquake 43 miles northeast of Bhuj in Gujarat State. Pakistan, Nepal, and Bangladesh were also impacted.

The earthquake was the most powerful to strike India since August 15, 1950, when an 8.5-magnitude earthquake killed 1,538 people in northeastern Assam state.

Numbers Affected

Official Government of India (GOI) figures place the death toll at 19,739 and the number of injured at 166,836with more than 18,139 dead and 136,048 injured in the Kutch district.

GOI assessments indicate that 600,000 people are homeless and 15.85 million people have been affected.

Current Situation

According to GOI reports, electric power has been restored in Gujarat State. The GOI also indicated that telephone and water supply systems are increasingly operable. Markets are open, debris has been removed from the streets, evacuations have occurred, and people are recovering their belongings, removing debris from their property, and rebuilding their homes or settling into temporary shelters.

GOI property damage surveys indicate that 348,729 houses were destroyed, and 751,086 houses were damaged. In addition, the GOI reports that the earthquake destroyed 6,698 schoolrooms, three hospitals, 21 primary health centers, four community health centers, and 140 health sub-centers. The earthquake also damaged 17,033 schoolrooms.

The GOI estimates that the total infrastructure loss exceeds $453 million. On February 27, 2001, the GOI announced a comprehensive package for the rehabilitation of industry damaged during the earthquake.

Immediately following the earthquake, the affected populations began migrating from the destroyed villages toward the cities. It remains unclear how many people have returned to damaged homes or villages.

Food Security

The Food Insecurity Atlas of India reports that Gujarat is the second most vulnerable state in India to food insecurity. More than 24 percent of the population in Gujarat lives below the poverty line and the cereal production in the state is below consumption levelsresulting in 48 percent of households in the state being dependent on the public food distribution in non-emergency conditions. The total food insecure population may increase as a result of the earthquake if the public distribution system is not expanded.

From the onset of the disaster, the United States Agency for International Development Disaster Assistance Response Team (USAID/DART) monitored the local food requirements as rations were distributed and populations continued to migrate. The destruction of mills, food warehouses and irrigation structures, as well as a disruption of harvesting of crops - including wheat, sorghum, and cotton, and food production remain an overall food security concern.

In addition, a three-year drought is underway in the affected regionendangering the food security situation for those who normally do not require food assistance. The drought affected 2.9 million residents of Gujarat state in 2000. On February 7, the World Food Program (WFP) released an interim food security analysis of Gujarat state that stated the earthquake had serious nutritional implications for poor rural households already affected by the extended drought. In February, WFP began the distribution of supplemental food to approximately 300,000 people for four months and plans to channel supplementary food for an additional 20,000 families through non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

Water and Sanitation

At the onset of the disaster, the water supply was a concern, but through a combination of rapid repairs to piped water distribution systems, as well as emergency relief measures such as tankering of water, roadside water distribution points, generators to operate pump wells, and the use of water purification systems, the water sector needs in the affected areas have been met adequately.

USAID/Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA)-provided water purification systems are fully operational, producing an average of approximately 78,000 liters of water per day, and have reached beneficiaries either by direct or tanker distributions in Adhoi, Anjar, Kvada, and Sukhpar. The water purification systems will remain in India for future humanitarian responses to localized disasters.

Sanitation remains a primary concern, particularly in urban areas and relief camps. The GOI and relief organizations are constructing latrines, providing public sanitation training, and distributing hygiene packs, and water treatment interventions.

Health

No major epidemics have occurred, although some expected cases of diarrhea and acute respiratory infection have been noted. The majority of injuries reported are orthopedic in nature.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has been designated the lead coordination agency for health issues, and is chairing regular health meetings in Bhuj. Through a USAID/OFDA-funded grant, the WHO has opened a disease surveillance center at the U.N. On-Site Operations Coordination Center (OSOCC) in Bhuj.

Priority health needs remain, including the restoration of rehabilitative and reconstruction supplies and specialists. Other health challenges include addressing trauma counseling, reestablishing immunization programs and public health facilitiesincluding access to primary, maternity, and emergency care, and identifying local health professionals to provide medical assistance upon the departure of international medical personnel and mobile health clinics.

Shelter

On February 27, the GOI announced its formal approval of a resettlement and reconstruction project for the victims of the earthquake rendered homeless.

Long-term shelter remains a priority concern. The GOI has indicated that there are adequate tents and other shelter materials in the pipeline to meet the short-term relief needs. The Gujarat State government has announced interim measures to build as many as 100 tent camps, each of which will have the capacity to provide shelter for 5,000 people. To assist with medium-term and long-term housing requirements, construction materials, such as bamboo and corrugated sheeting, have been made available at no cost by the local government and manufacturers.

Logistics and Distribution

While airports in Bhuj and Ahmedabad were operational throughout most of the emergency relief effort, limited cargo handling capacity impacted the number of commodity flights each airport could accommodate. The majority of the off-loading was done by hand.

On February 11, WFP launched a Joint Logistics Center (JLC) in Bhuj to coordinate the movement of humanitarian cargo, relief workers, and transport assets within the affected area. In addition, the JLC identified logistical bottlenecks, coordinated with local authorities, and provided information regarding the prioritization of humanitarian commodities and transport options.

Coordination

The local government designated Abhiyan, a local consortium of NGOs, with primary responsibility for NGO coordination. Although coordination was slow to evolve, it now functions smoothly with daily meetings occurring with participation from the Gujarat State government, local and international NGOs, and the U.N.

At the onset of the disaster, the GOI and United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) coordinated relief operations from Ahmedabad. OCHA moved its coordination efforts to the airport at Bhuj, which became the focal point for the collection and dissemination of assessment information.

U.S. Government Assistance

On February 1, USAID announced that it was prepared to provide $9 million in emergency humanitarian assistance. To date, USAID/OFDA has responded to the India Earthquake with a total of $7.4 million in emergency relief assistance, and USAID/ Food for Peace (FFP) is providing 1813 metric tons (MT) of P.L.480 Title II emergency food assistance valued at approximately $800,000. Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and CARE are distributing the food aid to approximately 300,000 beneficiaries.

On January 26, USAID/OFDA activated a 24-hour USAID/OFDA Response Management Team (RMT) to coordinate the U.S. Government response to the disaster. On January 28, an eleven-member USAID/DART, comprised of a team leader and logistics, information, program, and communications personnel, as well as a military liaison officer and a water technical specialist, was sent to operate in the affected areas and in New Delhi. As the relief efforts concluded and reconstruction initiatives began, on February 15, the USAID/DART demobilized and the RMT in Washington, D.C. deactivated.

USAID/OFDA-funded airlifts arrived in India with relief commodities on January 30, February 3, and February 4. The USAID/OFDA-provided relief commodities included technical equipment, shelter materials, blankets, sleeping bags, equipment for water/sanitation, and other commodities used in the relief effort. The commodities were consigned to USAID/OFDA’s implementing partners and the Indian military. The total value of the commodities with transport costs is $2,426,463.

Since January 31, USAID/OFDA has provided $4,875,028 in grants to five implementing partners, targeting more than 450,000 beneficiaries. These grants focus on shelter, water and sanitation, emergency food distribution, health and nutrition, community infrastructure, and coordination activities in the earthquake-affected areas.

USAID/OFDA provided more than $1.5 million to CRS for the implementation of an emergency water and shelter program in Gujarat to benefit 250,000 affected persons in Bhuj, Anjar, and Bachao. CRS is purchasing and distributing relief items and emergency shelter materials, including 1,500 MT of P.L.480 Title II emergency food assistance, and is offering trauma counseling for three months.

CARE received $1.8 million from USAID/OFDA to implement emergency food distribution and community infrastructure programs, benefiting 50,000 people in Kutch district. CARE is providing basic family emergency kits and shelter to the affected population, repairing existing community tubewells, and providing temporary shelters to serve as health/nutrition delivery centers and schools.

USAID/OFDA provided $400,000 to the United Nation’s Development Program (UNDP) for the immediate distribution of food, shelter material, water, and essential household items to earthquake victims in Bhuj, Patan, and Surendranagar.

USAID/OFDA funded an $852,403 grant to World Vision to provide three months of emergency aid to the worst-affected populations in Gujarat. World Vision is maintaining basic nutritional levels and providing basic household supplies to 15,000 families in Bhuj, Anjar, and Bachao. World Vision also is ensuring access to potable water for 7,500 families in 50 villages.

WHO received $232,000 from USAID/OFDA to implement a six-month water/sanitation, environmental health, and disease surveillance program in the earthquake affected areas.

USAID/OFDA provided an initial $100,000 in disaster assistance through USAID/New Delhi to the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund for immediate assistance to those affected by the earthquake.

The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) responded by providing personnel, relief supplies, equipment, and transport assistance. USAID/OFDA provided approximately $2,300 to assist with the storage and transport of DOD commodities, which arrived on February 3 in Ahmedabad. The commodities included 92 large tents, 10,000 blankets, 1,500 sleeping bags, two rough terrain forklifts, two water trailers, and a 2.5 ton truck. In addition, a six-person DOD humanitarian assistance survey team completed an assessment of ongoing support requirements in coordination with USAID/DART on February 14.

Since 1998, USAID/OFDA has provided funding in support of the Program for the Enhancement of Emergency Response (PEER)-, a regional training initiative designed to promote, develop and strengthen SAR capabilities in earthquake-prone countries of Asia. This collaborative program, implemented in partnership with the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC) and Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department has helped to increase earthquake preparedness and response capabilities in India prior to this disaster. PEER held its first training of trainers course for India in December. The course focused on medical first response, and included eighteen participants. A second course, collapsed structure search and rescue training, is planned for March. For additional information on the PEER, please visit http://www.adpc.ait.ac.th/peer/peer.html.

Other Donor and International Organization Assistance

In-kind or cash donations have been made either bilaterally or through the UN system for by the following nations: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Monaco, Nepal, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Poland, the Russian Federation, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, and the United Kingdom. ECHO has also contributed to the relief efforts.

In addition, the WFP, the U.N. Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the WHO, the U.N. Population Fund (UNFPA), the International Labor Organization (ILO), and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) were involved in the response to the disaster in India.

USG Funding Summary

Public Donation Information

In the interest of effective coordination of public response, USAID encourages the public to contact directly those private voluntary organizations (PVOs) currently working in the region in order to provide monetary donations. Cash donations are the preferred response to the emergency.

For a list of non-governmental organizations providing disaster assistance in the region, please visit USAID's website at http://www.usaid.gov. Those interested in providing specific technical relief services or commodities can obtain guidelines for private voluntary organizations through Volunteers in Technical Assistance's (VITA’s) Disaster Information Center at http://www.vita.org.

USAID will not deviate from standard Denton Program procedures for transporting privately-donated relief supplies. USAID will prioritize delivery of essential relief commodities. For more information on the Denton Program, please refer to the USAID website at http://www.usaid.gov/hum_response/pvc/denton.html.

For additional information about the relief effort in India, please refer to the Natural Disasters section of ReliefWeb at http://www.reliefweb.int/

USAID/OFDA fact sheets can be obtained from the USAID web site at http://www.usaid.gov/hum_response/ofda/situation.html

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