Uganda: Floods OCHA Situation Report No. 1

HIGHLIGHTS

50,000 HOUSEHOLDS AFFECTED BY FLOODING IN EASTERN AND CENTRAL UGANDA

UNHAS HELICOPTER ARRIVES TO SUPPORT EMERGENCY RESPONSE

UNITED NATIONS PREPARING A FLASH APPEAL

The information contained in this report has been gathered by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) from sources including the Government of Uganda, UN agencies, non-governmental organizations and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).

Situation Overview

1. Unusually heavy rainfall since July 2007 has led to flooding and waterlogging across a number of districts in eastern and northern Uganda, including Katakwi, Amuria, Bukedea, Kumi and Soroti in Teso sub-region, Manafwa, Sironko, Bukwo, Kapchorwa and Bududa in Elgon sub-region, Kotido, Moroto, Abim, and Nakapiripirit in Karamoja sub-region, Lira in Lango and Pader and Kitgum in Acholi sub-regions.

2. The rainfall and associated flooding have affected some 50,000 households, or approximately 300,000 people. However, the number of affected households may increase as additional assessments come in and due to the intensification of rains since the beginning of September.

3. According to media reports, at least 10 people have been killed due to the flooding, and tens of thousands displaced. Many homes, which are primarily made with traditional mud bricks, have crumbled in the wet conditions. The displaced have sought shelter with friends and family, in IDP camps from which many were only newly returned, or in institutions such as schools and health centres.

4. First season harvests have been lost as crops have either rotted in fields (cassava and sweet potatoes) or been damaged post-harvest due to continued wet conditions making it impossible to dry the crops (sorghum and millet). In the most affected areas, 65% of families have lost 90% of their crops. Additionally, planting of second season crops has been delayed. The next harvest cannot be expected before February 2008, meaning that most of those affected will face food insecurity in coming months.

5. The flooding has also impacted negatively on water and sanitation in the affected areas, as open water sources have been contaminated and boreholes and shallow wells show signs of seepage. Sanitation facilities, particularly pit latrines, have been flooded and/or collapsed. Most remaining latrines are not used for fear of collapse.

Regional Impact

6. Immediate needs are most critical in the Teso subregion, and particularly in the most affected districts of Katakwi and Amuria. Some 10,000 households (50,000 people) have been displaced in these two districts alone. An additional 5,000 people have been displaced in Bukedea district. Many areas have already been cut off overland, necessitating air and boat operations for assessment and relief delivery.

7. Initial assessments conducted from 24 to 28 August 2007 indicated that 25,000 households had lost their first season crops in Teso sub-region, including 10,000 in Katakwi district, 10,000 in Amuria, 4,000 in Bukedea and 1,000 in Kumi.

8. As of 16 September, the number of food insecure households in Katakwi and Amuria districts had risen to nearly 22,000, while some 16,500 families were living in damp and collapsing shelters. The number of affected households will continue to rise as the rains show no signs of abating.

9. In Elgon sub-region, where initial assessments were also conducted from 24 to 28 August, some 4,000 households have been affected by crop damage.

10. And, in Lira district of Lango sub-region, more than 15,000 households have been affected by the rainfall to varying extents, with approximately 3,000 people displaced into schools and other facilities.

11. Contamination of water sources - particularly open and unprotected water sources, but also some boreholes and shallow wells - is widespread. One assessment of 40 water sources in Amuria district revealed that 75% of the sample had been contaminated. Meanwhile, flooded latrines continue to collapse, particularly in the sandy soil of Katakwi district, leaving the population unwilling to use those remaining for fear of their collapse. People have resorted to defecating in the open. In combination, the water and sanitation situation has led to concern for the possible outbreak of waterborne diseases, including cholera.

12. Health centres in the affected areas are experiencing severe shortages of critical drugs to treat the types of malaria, diarrhoeal diseases and acute respiratory infections typically associated with contaminated water sources and inadequate sanitation. While the incidence of such diseases has risen, reportedly by as much as 30% in some areas, there has been no outbreak of cholera to date. However, concern remains about the possibility for an outbreak to occur, especially once the flood waters begin to recede.

13. In addition to the above types of drugs, anti-retroviral drugs (ARVs) are stocked out in affected areas, many of which have no received shipments from the central stores for the past two to three quarters. Severe staffing shortages remain a chronic problem in the affected areas as well.

14. Some 174 primary schools, including 119 in Teso and 55 in Elgon, had been damaged by flooding, according to the August assessments. Damages include waterlogged, flooded and/or collapsed sanitation facilities and damage to school facilities and teacher housing. As a result, most of these schools were unable to open yesterday for the third term. An assessment of schools in Lira district is ongoing; at least ten schools were unable to reopen yesterday, four of them as they are sheltering those displaced by the floods.

15. Flooded and impassable roads and bridges have affected service delivery to nearly 50% of the population of Teso sub-region, and have begun to take a toll on neighbouring districts in recent days.