Pakistan Humanitarian Bulletin - Issue 15, 03 - 18 February 2011

I. SITUATION OVERVIEW

The security situation in Mohmand Agency in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) remains volatile. Close to 5,200 families (average family size is reported to be six) have now been registered in the two IDP camps that have been established within the Agency, though the rate of registration has slowed in the past week. The larger of the two camps, Nahqi, is hosting 3,790 families, or 73 percent of the overall registered caseload. The second, Danish Kol, is hosting 1,390 families from Dawazai, in Mohmand's Pindiali tehsil. The Mohmand Political Administration has stated that the situation in Dawazai is now safe for return, and has therefore asked that registration in Danish Kol cease from 15 February. Registration of newly-displaced families will continue in Nahqi. A smaller number of families are reported to have moved out of Mohmand into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) province, with arrivals reported in Peshawar and Nowshera's Jalozai camp.

An inter-agency response to needs in the Mohmand camps is now well underway. Coordination structures have been established in both locations and emergency shelter items have been provided to over three quarters of the registered population. Standard NFI kits including tarpaulins, blankets, sleeping mats, quilts, and jerry cans have also been distributed to almost all registered families. UNHCR reports adequate stocks of shelter and NFIs in the area for all registered families. Distribution of dry food rations began during the past week. WASH assistance has been significantly scaled up with 400 latrines and over 100 wash rooms now constructed.

In KPK province, an IDP Vulnerability and Profiling (IVAP) survey has now been completed in Peshawar, Nowshera, Charsadda, Swabi and Mardan districts. The process involves collection of data on various indicators that are used to determine a score for each family against an agreed vulnerability index. Based on the results received so far, IVAP partners are now shifting from blanket assistance to targeted assistance linked to vulnerability. IVAP teams will move to Kohat and Hangu in the next two weeks.

The priority in flood-affected districts in Punjab and Sindh continues to be the scaling up of early recovery interventions that ensure sustainable return, though relief assistance continues to be provided in the hardest hit areas. A village profiling exercise has been launched in Sindh's Thatta district by UNHCR and the Provincial Disaster Management Authority. The initial phase has covered 500,000 persons in Jati and Sujawal talukas (tehsils). 40 percent of the houses in these talukas have been destroyed, and 8,500 families are reported to remain without shelter in these tehsils.

UNHCR reports that just over 23,000 flood-displaced persons remain in 31 camps in Balochistan, of which almost 90 percent are in Jaffarabad and Nasirabad districts. Return intention surveys indicate that many have remained in the camps due to a lack of transportation and shortages of money. Provincial and district authorities are now working to facilitate their return by providing the necessary support. Others are facing more protracted displacement due to factors such as stagnant water and land issues in their places of origin. A consolidation site has been established to accommodate these groups while durable solutions are identified.