Iraq: Situation report No. 11

Iraq Humanitarian Response
Submitted by: Hanno Schaefer

General Situation/Overview

The heavy bombardment of Baghdad continued. ICRC reports that a total of 100 war injured are treated in different hospitals of Baghdad city.

Many telephone landlines are not functioning, due to the bombing of the telecommunications center in Baghdad.

BBC reports that an average of 400 civilians has been wounded daily since the war started.

UN assumes that household food stocks in the center and south of Iraq will be finished by 20 April, while stocks in the north will be depleted earlier.

Water shortages are reported in Basrah, Ninewa, Kerbala, Thi-Qar and Wassit governorates. The main water treatment station (Wafaa Al Qaid), north of Basrah, is still functioning at only 50% of its capacity. The ICRC is working on reconnecting the station to back-up generators so that the station can function fully. At Umm Qhayal, with a population of 30,000, there is only 1 day of water supply left and the British Military are delivering 2 tankers per day. Further power cuts will affect the water systems and therefore the water quality. There are no reports of water-borne disease outbreaks so far.

I. Movements of People

An increasing number of IDPs is taking refuge in churches in Baghdad, especially in the outskirts of the city. The Caritas Liaison Office is not able to determine the number of refugees so far.

Northern Iraq:

According to the UN, the increased presence of coalition troops; the heavy air attacks on the areas close to the dividing line with Erbil and Dohuk; the conflict with Ansar al Islam and the bombardment of Iraqi military bases near Chamchamal in Sulaymaniyah, and the entry of Kurdish Peshmerga into Iraqi controlled territory may lead to further population displacement. The return to urban areas has slowed down and in Dohuk people are reported to abandon the city again.

WHO data from 6 health centres in Zaweta and Mangesh (Dohuk) confirmed an increase in population by 197% (from 18,000 to 53,000). The incidence of acute respiratory infection and diarrhea increased by 77% and 19%, respectively. In Sulaymaniyah a UNOPS survey confirms that most IDPs are hosted by relatives. Fuel, medicine, drinking water and sanitation services are in shortage. In Aghjalar area IDPs reported having food only for one week.

Center/South of Iraq:

According to UN reports, there are virtually no IDPs nor displaced camps in southern Iraq.

According to the British Army there are still refugees fleeing Basrah.

According to CNN, the American Army announced that the movement of civilians in Iraq will be restricted because of fear of suicide bombers.

II. Caritas Programming

Due to disrupted telephone lines the Caritas Liaison Office was not able to contact the Caritas Centers in Iraq.

III. Security Environment

BBC reports that according to the British army it is not safe for humanitarian organizations to work outside Umm Qasr.

IV. Local Church

No reports today

V. Donor Climate

No reports today.

VI. Staff Movements and Seconded Positions

No reports today.

Jordan

General situation/Overview

The refugee camp of Ruweished is ready to receive up to 5,000 refugees, but none have arrived so far.

The Jordanian government stated that the borders with Iraq are open for flow of relief goods. A 7-truck convoy with drugs and medical supplies donated by the Jordanian government to the Iraqi Red Crescent Society left Amman on Friday evening.

I. Movements of People

No Iraqi refugees are reported to have crossed into Jordan. As of yesterday, there were some 222 TCNs in camp A in Ruweished.

According to newspaper and TV reports more than 6000 Iraqi, most of them young men, have returned from Jordan to Iraq since the beginning of the war.

II. Caritas Programming

No reports today.

III. Security Environment

No reports today

IV. Local Church

A prayer of peace was held yesterday in Amman, shared by the bishops of all Christian rites. The service was attended by the Iraqi ambassador and many other diplomats in addition of some Jordanian ministers. The Bishop of Jordan read a statement calling for the end of the war and peace and justice in both Iraq and Palestine.

V. Donor Climate

No reports today.

VI. Staff Movements and Seconded Positions

No reports today.

Northern Iraq

Update Northern Iraq 31 March 2003 by Dutch Consortium:

Duhok/Zakho

A liaison officer and two drivers (one for the office and one for the mobile health team) have been selected (new staff) for Zakho/Duhok. The liaison officer has a passport and can easily travel to Syria and Turkey. This will be helpful for proper communication and coordination with the Caritas and ACT partners in the field across the borders.

The Dutch Consortium had a meeting with Chaldean Bishop Petrus in Zakho and the church-committee there. The first joint assessments of DC staff with the Assyrian Committee of Duhok and with the Chaldean church committee of Zakho will start on Monday.

Sulaimaniya

The Ministry of Health signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Dutch Consortium, about the Dutch Consortium assisting with mobile health services for IDPs and about the Government seconding government health staff to Dutch Consortium for this purpose.

Dutch Consortium staff visited the three health centres in the areas of New Halabja. The main health centre in New Halabja treats at the moment between 300 and 350 patients per day, among whom between 100 and 120 IDPs. They are short in medicine and staff. We concluded that the Dutch Consortium Mobile Health team will visit this Health Centre every second day. The Health centre has made a room available to Dutch Consortium for this purpose.

Dutch Consortium also visited the six health centres in the area of Bazyan, including the main Health Centre in Bazyan Centre. This main Health Centre treats between 350 and 400 patients daily, including some 120 to 130 IDPs. Also this health centre is short of drugs and personnel. The Dutch Consortium mobile health team of Sulaimaniya will hence also assist in the Bazyan health centre every second day (i.e. the day that they are not in New Halabja). Also here the health centre prepares one room for the mobile clinic of Dutch Consortium.

In the above manner Dutch Consortium mobile health team of Sulaimaniya will start treating some 120 patients per day, alternating in New Halabja health centre and in Bazyan health centre. (Roughly: 80 children and 40 adults per day).

Dutch Consortium, in cooperation with UNOPS-IDP and with the Ministry of Health are also preparing three leaflets for preventive health measures for the public, concentrating on the present three major problems: diarrhoea, chest infection and general hygiene. Of each leaflet some 2000 copies will be printed.

Dutch Consortium purchased on Sunday the following relief items for 280 IDP families (2000 persons) in New Halabja:

a) 560 blankets (2 per family)

b) 5600 lt kerosene (20 liter per family)

And the following relief-items for 420 IDP families (around 3000 persons) in Bazyan were purchased:

a) 840 blankets (2 per family)

b) 8,400 lt kerosene (20 liter per family)

Kuwait

CI Team in Kuwait

Security

Kuwait remains under threat from surface-to-surface missiles

The threat to Kuwait from ballistic missiles is considered to be lower

Paramilitaries pose a threat to those moving in coalition-controlled areas, even (or perhaps particularly)if under military escort

The military consider the routes to the border both at Safwan and Umm Qasr to be safe.

Umm Qsar, including the coastal route from Kuwait, will be declared "permissive" by the military on Monday, 31st March

On Tuesday UNSECOR are to assess whether Umm Qasr is "safe for humanitarian workers". The results of this will be known on Wednesday.

Operational Update

Generally, coalition forces are tankering water to areas around Umm Qasr and Safwan using a fleet of 20 tankers. UNICEF intend to take over this service in areas as soon as they become safe, in this way freeing up coalition tankers to work in places less secure.

Umm Qasr

The situation in Umm Qasr is reported to be :completely quiet"

The Kuwaiti Red Cross has established delivery of 43,000 meals/day. However, this will be suspended from 8:00am on Monday due to lack of storage in Umm Qasr

The Kuwaiti government provided 9 tankers of water today which were successfully delivered.

The pipeline will be opened on Monday morning

Az Zubayr

A UNICEF-funded convoy of 13 water tankers was sent to Az Zubayr today. For reasons unknown, 10 of the tankers did not cross the border. The remaining three were ordered by coalition forces to return after they were surrounded by a mob in Az Zubayr.

Basra

All phone contact with Basra was lost on Thursday. No news has been received from oujr staff since.

We still have yet to hear that the Caritas vehicle which left Amman last week has arrived in Basra

There are unconfirmed reports of cholera cases in Basra

An Nasariya

Top priorities are 1) water & 2) medical supplies

Coalition forces are distributing water through tribal structures

Population have food for 8 months (obviously not perishables) - it was unclear whether this related to general or supplementary food

Co-ordination

Water and Sanitation (Chaired by UNICEF, 29 March)

UNICEF has a two-pronged strategy of taking over tankering water from the military in different areas as soon as security permits and repairing/rehabilitating water assets. To the first end, 13 tankers were sent on Sunday (see above). UNICEF have stocks of 5m3 bladders and were due to receive a plane-load of mobile purification units, 20m3 bladders and reservoir tanks today (30 March).

The Samaritans are bringing bladders and water purification units

Norwegian Church Aid have seconded 5 engineers to UNICEF and Oxfam have seconded 5 staff (including Paul Sherlock)

Minutes, including a list of attendees, will be circulated when available. These are expected by end Monday, 31 March.

Health and Nutrition (Chaired by UNICEF, 30 March)

We were given a comprehensive briefing of the lealth status of the Iraqi population and UNICEF's work prior to the attacks. This is to be made available on the HIC website (http://www.agoodplacetostart.org/health.php) in PowerPoint format..

Minutes will be circulated as soon as they are available.

NGO Co-ordination Meeting (Chaired by Goal, 30 March)

- UN Coordination

• Sue Macintyre (Interaction) and Nikky Smith (MSF) are to represent NGOs at the UN inter-agency meetings on Mondays
  
  
• NGOs are to collectively ask Kim Bolduc, the UN OCHI Southern Iraq Regional Co-ordinator, that the UN take on the full co-ordination meeting

- Security

• NGOs agreed to freely share all information relating to security and to co-ordinate closely when travelling up to and in Iraq
  
  
• Passes
  
  
• Mindful of the unanimous rejection by NGOs in Amman of any passes issued by the HOC, the NGOs are to collectively ask that the UN undertake to provide UN passes to NGOs wishing to work in Iraq. There is apparently precedence for the UN issuing passes to non-implementing partners in similar circumstances.

NGO/Donor Co-ordination Meeting (Chaired by Goal, 30 March)

• USAID have allocated USD40-45 million for humanitarian response
• DFID have allocated GBP 210 million for humanitarian response (including a new allocation of £120M from the treasury).
• The EU has allocated Euro 100 million for humanitarian response.
• The donors were asked by the NGOs if they would also urge the UN a) to take on full co-ordination of the humanitarian response and b) to issue NGOs with passes which will avoid the need to use passes from the HOC.

Caritas Registration

Papers were received from Rome on Saturday. I will begin registration on Monday.

Alistair Dutton, Emergencies Officer, CAFOD