Attachments
Highlights
• 205,181 people have gained access to safe drinking water.
• 480 hygiene promotion sessions have been carried out in 3 districts including distribution of 53,881 hygiene and school sanitation kits to benefit 129,447 people.
• 1,770,912 children have been vaccinated against measles and rubella.
• 58,164 families have received bed nets to protect against malaria.
• 112,282 pregnant and lactating women have received counselling on Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) practices.
• 25,886 children received psychosocial support delivered through 27 child friendly spaces and school-based programmes.
• 58,533 children have resumed their education through provision of Temporary Learning Spaces (TLS).
Situation Overview & Humanitarian Needs
On 28 September 2018, a series of strong earthquakes struck Indonesia’s Central Sulawesi province. The strongest earthquake (7.4M) triggered a tsunami which struck Palu and Donggala districts, resulting in significant damage and loss of life. Instances of liquefaction and landslides also occurred. Thousands of families lost their homes and access to services, and sought refuge in safer areas.
In Central Sulawesi, an estimated 1.5 million people were affected (including over 500,000 children). Earlier, in July-August 2018, a series of strong and devastating earthquakes struck the islands of Lombok and Sumbawa in West Nusa Tenggara Barat (NTB), affecting over 400,000 people (including over 100,000 children). Families directly affected by housing damage are approximately 105,000 in Central Sulawesi, and over 200,000 in West NTB.
A Multi-Sector Needs Assessment (MSNA) was completed for Central Sulawesi in February 20191 (Note: No Multi-Sector Needs Assessment has yet been conducted for Lombok). Findings indicate that needs tended to vary based on displacement status, rather than geography.
Access to services in Palu City was largely dependent upon displacement status; non-displaced households tended to access basic services more easily and sufficiently than IDP households.
Displaced households in Central Sulawesi, particularly those living in informal settlements and those living in tents or makeshift shelters next to their former homes, were found to be the most vulnerable groups and remain the most affected by the disaster. They have suffered more economic loss, and require more support rebuilding their businesses and resuming their livelihoods in a displaced setting.
The plurality of displaced households found to be living in other households’ homes or were directly supported by the host community also experienced difficulties in accessing some services, particularly shelter support, and often had more difficulties receiving aid due to being more difficult to identify among the local population.
Although inadequate sanitation issues noted during the early response have largely been resolved, displaced households report worrying levels of open defecation, and while there are sufficient communal latrines in informal settlements, many lack many basic protection features. Health issues are likely to be compounded by unresolved issues around nutrition and sanitation; the poor nutrition and sanitation environment, along with the high instance of diarrhoea among IDP households may lead to additional need for health services.
Education access has largely returned to the same levels as before the disaster; however many children in Parigi Moutong, Central Sulawesi, were reported to have not been attending school before the disaster, suggesting underlying issues beyond school repair.