India: Floods Emergency Appeal No. 16/2004 Operations Update No. 9
Attachments
In Brief
Appeal No. 16/2004; Operations Update no. 9; Period covered: 1 April to 30 June 2005; Appeal coverage: 99.2%; (cl ick here to go directly to the attached revised budget and contributions list ) (click here for live contributions list)
Appeal history:
- Launched on 27 July 2004 for CHF 2,982,000 (USD 2,352,706 or EUR 1,929,189) for ten months to assist 250,000 beneficiaries .
- Operations update 7 reduced the number of beneficiaries to 200,000 due to low appeal/request for assistance coverage and delays in implementation, leading to a change in the vulnerability of targeted beneficiaries.
- Operations Update 8 extended the operational period by three months to 31 August 2005.
- This operations update revises the budget down to CHF 2,034,911 and extends the timeframe by another two months (to 31 October). The budget revision is based on the funding situation and changed activities, while the timeframe extension allow s for the completion of the disaster mitigation and capacity building components.
Outstanding needs: CHF 16,279 (USD 12,579 or EUR 10,417)
Related Emergency or Annual Appeals:
South Asia Regional Appeal 05AA051
Tsunami Emergency and Recovery Plan of Action 2005-2010
Operational Summary:
As outlined in Operations Update 8, the emergency phase of the operation assisted 37,350 families (approximately 18 6,750 people) with emergency relief (food and non -food items) in the states of Bihar and Assam. In addition to assistance provided through this appeal, approximately 300,000 people received some form of health care from various Indian Red Cross Society (IRCS ) district branches in the two states. For example, district branches in Bihar raised over CHF 171,000 in cash for the medical component and medicines worth CHF 75,000.
There are proposed changes to the mitigation phase. In Bihar, it is intended to increase the number of raised tube wells, following a recent IRCS and Federation assessment.
Outside of this appeal, the Bihar state branch has indicated plans for the construction of a flood platform on Indian Red Cross land in the Muzzaffarpur district. On the identified land, there is an IRCS health clinic and one tube well, and the site is located near a highway to provide good accessibility during the flood season. The area has been used in previous flooding season s and has accommodated 2000 to 3000 people.
In Assam, the planned construction of a flood platform has not progressed and it has been decided to cancel this activity. The lack of progress to date and given that the current 2005 monsoon season would hinder construction, it would n ot be possible to complete this activity even by the new extended operational period of 31 October 2005. The construction of the flood platform will be facilitated and funded under the Indian Red Cross Society's annual disaster management programme. It is proposed to replace this activity with construction of tube wells and replenishment of disaster preparedness stocks. Twenty tube wells will be constructed at already existing facilities such as schools and health centres, which can be used as shelters during floods .
As part of the revised mitigation and preparedness plan, 4000 family packs will be procured to replenish disaster preparedness stock of non-food items, which were used during the emergency phase of the 2004 floods.
The change of the IRCS leadership, resulting from the previous secretary-general's resignation in March, led to a transitional period in the national society, whereby the implementation process included a transfer of funds from the national headquarters to the branches.
Background
The north-eastern states of Assam and Bihar were severely affected by heavy flooding in June/July 2004 as a result of the monsoon. More than 30 million people were affected and infrastructure was heavily damaged. According to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), 60 per cent of crops in affected areas were destroyed.
On 27 July 2004, the Indian Red Cross Society and the Federation launched a request for assistance, seeking to assist 250,000 beneficiaries with food and non-food relief items. The operation includes a disaster mitigation component, aiming at improving local capacities to cope with this recurring disaster. In the course of the operation, the number of beneficiaries was revised down to 200,000 people, due to reassessed needs in Assam, following initial delays in the distribution of relief items because of inaccessibility to some areas in that state.
Operational developments
With the emergency phase complete, the national society is focusing on completing the mitigation element and replenishment of disaster preparedness stock. Revised mitigation proposals received from the Bihar and Assam state branches have been approved by the secretary-general of the IRCS .
A disaster preparedness capacity building workshop w as carried out in Patna, Bihar. A follow up/monitoring visit was also carried out to evaluate the effectiveness of tube wells installed during the 2002 floods operation. The wells have been fully utilized and maintained by communities, and there is a great demand for more raised tube wells by the community and the IRCS district branches leaders.
The IRCS Bihar state branch, based on consultation with national headquarters findings, has proposed to construct 70 instead of the originally planned 30 tube wells. This decision is based, in part, on the findings of disaster management teams from national headquarters and the Federation delegation on the effectiveness of tube wells constructed in 2002 in Bihar. Outside this operation, the state branch has requested support to construct a state-level warehouse for storing disaster preparedness stock. A new activity under this operation is the procurement of 4000 family packs of non-food items to replenish part of the disaster preparedness stock released in the emergency phase (10,000 family packs were sent to each state branch in Assam and Bihar ).
The further extension of the operational timeframe to 31 October 2005 is due to a combination of factors. The change of leadership in the national society led to a slow-down in implementation, including a transfer of funds to branches. The extended timeframe will realistically allow for the completion of the tube well construction and the disaster preparedness stock procurement.
For further information specifically related to this operation please contact:
In India: .S. P. Agarwal, secretary-general, Indian Red Cross Society; email: spagarwalsg@indianredcross.org phone: +91.11.2371.6441; fax:+91.11.2371.7454
In India: Azmat Ulla, head of India delegation , New Delhi; email: ifrcin65@ifrc.org, phone: +91.11.2332.4203, fax: +91.11.2332.4235
In Geneva: Jagan Chapagain, senior officer , Asia Pacific department, email: jagan.chapagain@ifrc.org; phone:+41.22.730.4316, fax: +41.22.733.0395; or Nelly Khrabraya, email: nelly.khrabraya@ifrc.org; phone: +41.22.730.4306 , fax: +41.22.733.0395
All International Federation assistance seeks to adhere to the Code of Conduct and is committed to the Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Disaster Response in delivering assistance to the most vulnerable. For support to or for further information concerning Federation programmes or operations in this or other countries, or for a full description of the national society profile, please access the Federation's website at http://www.ifrc.org