Executive Summary
Lower Dir District is administratively divided into 2 Tehsils and 37 Union Councils; it is home to over a million people. Lower Dir borders the Districts of Bajaur, Upper Dir, and Swat as well as Malakand Agency. The areas accessed were directly affected by operations against militants, and currently these areas are serving as transit and host areas for Bajaur IDPs due to the continuing operation in FATA. The average household size of conflict-affected families in Lower Dir was found to be 7 persons. Of the 150 conflict-affected families surveyed, 79 percent moved to adjacent areas during the height of the conflict, while 21 percent never left.
Livelihoods and Income Generation
The average monthly household income is approximately PKR 9,300 (US$112), with 51 percent of respondents stating “casual labor” as their main source of income. However, in 25 percent of families, the main income contributor remained out of work in the two months preceding the survey (March and April 2010). Nearly 88 percent of households reported that they have no cash savings.
Similarly, 56 percent of households have outstanding loans. Before the crisis, households’ average debt burden was PKR 23,400 PKR (US$282), while after the crisis, the average debt burden was over 63,600 PKR (US$766) – this is more than 2½ times the pre-crisis debt burden.
Education
Seventy-three percent of children ages 4-18 years are attending school – 80 percent of boys and 66 percent of girls are attending school. Nearly 19 percent of households stated that they have a child who has started working and not attending school since the crisis. The most frequently cited reasons for children not attending school were that schools are not available, teachers are not available, and school expenses are unbearable. However, if schools were made accessible, parents reported that 77 percent of out-of-school children would be allowed to go to school.
Child Protection
With respect to children’s recreational facilities, 48 percent reported that there are no designated places for children to play, and 47 percent shared that group activities for children are not available.
Worryingly, 30 percent of mothers said that physical punishment of children has increased since the crisis started. Forty percent of mothers reported a change in children’s normal behavior, with sleeping badly and aggressive behavior as the top changes observed.
Vulnerable Groups
Overall, 16 percent of households are supporting an orphan, disabled person, or person with a chronic illness. Nine percent of women said that physical punishment of women has increased since the crisis started. (Although this question was asked to women separately, by female enumerators, the actual figure could still be higher than reported due to fear of shame or reprisal.)
Shelter
Most surveyed households own their own home (72 percent), while only 9 percent rent their homes, with an average rent of 1700 PKR per month (US$20). The extent of damage to the surveyed houses is very low, with only 4 percent of houses badly damaged and 14 percent suffering partial damage; 82 percent of households reported no damage to their homes during the crisis.
Land and Livestock
The study determined that 54 percent of respondents own land (6.31 kanals on average), while 68 percent of families reported they own livestock such as cattle, sheep, and poultry birds. In terms of agriculture and livestock services and inputs, overall access is low, with access to fruit saplings (28 percent) and livestock vaccines (25 percent) the most limited.
Food Security
Most families purchase food items, though some families also borrow food items. Of the 150 households surveyed, only 4 percent have no food stock available. For those who do have food stock, 53 percent have enough for one week, while the rest have more than one week food stock available. Mothers shared that infants less than six months were breastfed on average 6 times a day (this is lower than the frequently recommended minimum of 8 times per day), while 44 percent of mothers reported feeding infants less than six months old food other than breast milk.
Nutrition
The assessment team measured the Middle Upper Arm Circumference (MUAC) of 114 children.
According to these MUAC readings, approximately 1 percent of children are suffering from Severe Acute Malnutrition which is considered to be within the normal to poor range, 6 percent are suffering from Moderate Acute Malnutrition, and over 42 percent are at risk of becoming malnourished. This means that if any of these children suffer from a severe infection or disease, there is a high chance that they could become malnourished.
Health
The study shows that, in 71 percent of households, women and children do utilize health facilities; health centers such as BHUs and RHCs are the most commonly used. For children less than 2 years old, 79 percent of respondents stated that they have received vaccinations, and 73 percent of these households do have vaccination cards. Since the crisis began, two children have died (one boy and one girl under one year of age). Overall, 46 percent of deliveries were conducted in a health facility.
Of the 9 pregnant women reported, 5 women (56 percent) were receiving antenatal care.
Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene According to the assessment, 40 percent of families use pipe water lines, while 38 percent have protected wells and 18 percent fetch water from ponds, rivers, or canals; 4 percent use unprotected wells. Overall, 63 percent of households use latrines, and a small portion of these are pit latrines.
Open defecation is common – in 16 percent of families, both genders defecate in open fields, while in 21 percent of families, only the men do. In terms of hand washing, only 24 percent use water and soap after defecation, and none of the households reported using water and soap before eating.
Overall needs
When asked openly about their immediate needs, women prioritized food, NFIs, drinking water and latrines. The immediate needs prioritized by men were latrines, drinking water, cash grants, water channels and NFIs.