Uzbekistan - Drought OCHA Situation Report No. 1

Ref: OCHA/GVA - 2000/0143
OCHA Situation Report No. 1
Uzbekistan - Drought
11 August 2000

A severe drought is currently plaguing several countries in the Central and South Asia and the Middle East, and is spreading also to the Caucasus. Significant losses of livestock and crops, and rapid deterioration of health and sanitary conditions have already been reported and the prospects of large population displacements have been raised.

Unfortunately the deteriorating situation has received little international attention. Immediate donor response will be critical to assist the people most seriously affected.

As part of the efforts to respond to the crisis in a coordinated manner, the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) has formed a Drought Task Force, which is based in Geneva and is coordinated by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). In the second meeting of the Task Force on 2 August 2000, a briefing was provided regarding the evolving drought situation in Uzbekistan and the expected launch of an appeal for international assistance by the national Government.

General Situation in Uzbekistan

1. On 9 August 2000, the Government of Uzbekistan addressed an appeal to the United Nations to provide assistance to the country in alleviating the dramatic consequences of a protracted drought.

2. The message signed by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Uzbekistan indicated that, as a result of the drought, also the situation in the Aral Sea basin has worsened, especially along the lower reaches of Amudarya river, which plays a critical role for almost 15 million people.

3. The country's main cultivation (cotton) was watered only once during the year against the required watering four times a year and for only 60% of irrigating area. Due to the shallowness of water, only half of the lands selected for rice could be cultivated.

4. Unfortunately, the resources allocated by the Government from the central budget are not sufficient to further financing unforeseen costs resulting by the lack of water resources and the consequent decrease of the quality of water in the zone of Aral Sea basin.

5. The Government has requested the UN assistance in developing an urgent aid programme aimed at mitigating the consequences of the drought, focussing on the mobilization of funds for procurement of :

• water purifying stations;
• pumps for water wells;
• vehicles for transporting drinking water;
• equipment for sanitation and health care;
• medicine drugs for vaccination and immunization.

The Government will provide a detailed list of priority requirements in the coming days.

UNICEF rapid assessment mission

7. UNICEF Office in Uzbekistan carried out a rapid assessment mission in Karakalpakstan, from 24-25 July 2000.

8. The assessment found that eight Rayons, with a total population of approximately half a million, were in need of priority emergency assistance. These areas have already been seriously affected by the ongoing ecological crisis caused by the shrinking of the Aral Sea. Due to the worsening ecological situation, poverty, and the sole dependence on agricultural income, the region is most vulnerable to drought. Even before the drought, less than one-third of the population had access to safe drinking water, and the diarrheal disease rate was well above the national average.

9. The drought has caused the failure of the rice crop, and there is inadequate water for the winter wheat crop. In some areas, even water for domestic use is unavailable. Testing of available running water shows a doubling in the E coli rate and the occurrence of diarrheal diseases has already greatly increased. Health officials fear a cholera outbreak. In addition, due to the failure of most vegetable crops, and rising food prices, it is thought that most families' diet has been reduced to tea, bread and rice, leaving them with weakened nutritional status.

10. There is no water available for domestic purposes in some communities. This adversely affects health and increases the risk of disease like cholera. The cost of delivering water to these communities is high and not sustainable. This may force people to migrate from the rural areas into the cities where the infrastructure is already under stress. It is estimated that the food needs for half million people for 5 months would be :

Rice: 15,000 MT
Pulses: 2,250 MT
Cotton oil: 1,125 MT
Wheat flour: 30,000 MT
Sugar: 1,125 MT

This preliminary assessment needs to be confirmed by FAO / WFP.

11. Although the mission went only to Karakalpakstan, it should be noted that report indicates that there have been serious crop failures in Khorezm, Bukhara, Navoy, Kashkadarya, Surkhandarya and Samarkand oblasts.

12. A more detailed evaluation needs to be undertaken in the entire drought affected regions in Uzbekistan. Furthermore, communities receiving water by tankers do not have sufficient containers to safely store the water they receive. 4 ½-Gallon plastic J/Cans would address this issue. Water sterilizing tabs are also needed. The more sustainable intervention is to dig shallow wells and install hand pumps. Local technical capacity and equipment is available. Estimated cost of US$ 40 per well. Soil and water tests would have to be undertaken in all areas first.

13. There is also an urgent need for personal hygiene kits. Some emergency Drug Kits are available in country, as part of the regular contingency plan. The capacity of local hospitals should be improved to deal with the outbreak of cholera. They will need with IV re-hydrating solutions and antibiotics.

14. The office of the UN Resident Coordinator in Tashkent is, at present, assisting the government in the assessment of drought-related needs in close cooperation with all agencies of UN Country Team. OCHA Geneva is supporting their action in cooperation with the Inter-Agency Task Force.

15. For coordination purposes, donors are requested to inform OCHA Geneva, as indicated below, of bilateral relief missions/pledges/contributions and their corresponding values by item.

16. This situation report, together with further information on ongoing emergencies, is also available on the OCHA Internet Website at http://www.reliefweb.int.

Telephone: +41-22-917 12 34
Fax: +41-22-917 00 23
E-mail: ochagva@un.org

In case of emergency only: Tel. +41-22-917 20 10

Desk Officer: Mr. Dusan Zupka, Direct Tel. +41-22-917 1645

Press contact: (in GVA) - Mr. Donato Kiniger-Passigli direct Tel. +41-22-917 26 53 - (in N.Y.) - Ms. Phyllis Lee direct Tel. +1-212-963 48 32