Overview
The latest figures from BAKORNAS (24
Feb.), on the human toll of the earthquake and Tsunami for Aceh Province
indicate 123,597 bodies have been buried, 113,937 are missing and 400,901
are displaced. For Northern Sumatra Province, BAKORNAS reported that
19,620 are displaced. Meanwhile, the numbers of people buried and
missing remain at 130 and 24.
The construction of the Temporary Living Centres (TLCs) is continuing at full speed. The number of barracks planned to be built is increasing, with the Government reporting a planned total of 863 barracks (up 20 barracks since last reporting) to be constructed over the course of the next weeks to house all IDPs living in spontaneous settlements by mid-March.
Concerns have been raised about the water and sanitation facilities at the TLCs and spontaneous sites, both in terms of quality and quantity in Banda Aceh and along the west coast. The international agencies concerned are reviewing the situation with Government officials in Banda Aceh and Aceh Besar areas. An initial review on 23 February in Banda Aceh showed poor standards and in some cases no provision for drainage, lack of waste disposal areas, open defacation in the sites, and poor construction due to sandy soil. Concerns need to be addressed with the relevant parties, including the UN agencies and local authorities. Action needs to be taken to identify and position watsan engineers along the affected areas (primarily Meulaboh, Calang and Banda Aceh) as soon as possible.
Reports have been coming in about thousands of people from the west coast who are currently stranded in Banda Aceh and Medan. Foreign military helicopters evacuated approximately 10,000 people to Banda Aceh and 18,000 to Medan in the first days after the Tsunami struck and many now wish to be returned to their areas of origin. The issue of return has not been properly addressed yet and many of the evacuated people turn up at the airports, hoping for a return flight. This is being investigated as a matter of urgency to seek further clarification and take immediate action.
OCHA met with a representative from Leuser International who has been involved in preservation projects in Aceh for the past 12 years. Concerns were voiced regarding the process for implementation of the Master Plan or "blue print" and the level of consultation with the affected population at village level. In addition, the issue of ongoing logging of timber in the affected areas was raised since deforestation in previous years has resulted in flash floods, killing a number of villagers. It was proposed to have timber donated from regions outside Aceh and to recycle timber from damaged buildings and areas affected by the Tsunami.
Sectoral Developments
Health:
While coordination in the health sector continues to improve, WHO reports its concerns with streamlining health into the new thematic working groups for recovery. It is important to ensure that health is adequately represented within all the relevant thematic groups. Furthermore, the current weakened local capacity will stand in the way of an adequate handover from international organizations to local health systems, as many doctors, nurses and midwives were lost and facilities destroyed.
WHO reports that following the provincial health office request, aid organizations are now planning their activities in line with the rebuilding of the health system. Several organizations have identified specific plans and financial commitments to cover reconstruction and rehabilitation of the primary health care system (puskesmas) in three main districts, namely Aceh Besar (11 puskesmas), Banda Aceh (13 puskesmas) and Aceh Jaya (3 puskesmas). The number of health posts (Pustu) to be rehabilitated depends on the land allocation, a matter which is not yet finalized.
Food and Nutrition:
WFP's Co-operating Partners report that significant movement of IDPs continues to take place, making it challenging to track and verify the beneficiary numbers.
WFP Food Aid Monitors have conducted post-distribution monitoring in 18 villages in the surrounding areas of Lamno. Food distribution is carried out through village leaders and is generally working very well. As a shortcoming it was noted that no women were involved in organizing village-level distributions and that beneficiaries were not fully aware of their food entitlements. WFP and AcF are working together to address these challenges. Other monitoring results indicate that some of the Co-Operating Partners continue distributing food through IDP settlement Coordinators, leading into uneven rations in different camps and discrepancies in the beneficiary numbers.
Shelter:
Since relocations began a week ago, reports indicate that 3,281 families (or more than 11,500 people) have moved into the temporary barracks built for this purpose, even though they are not entirely completed and in some cases lack water, sanitation and drainage systems. So far, about 300 of the announced 863 barracks have been constructed and 88 are occupied.
The Ministry of Public Works has requested organizations providing transitional housing for Tsunami affected populations to display their model houses in Lamblangtring Village located in the Sub-District of Darul Imarah. IOM along with the international NGOs CARE and Save the Children will display their model transitional shelter units in this village.
In preparation for the arrival of the IOM transitional shelter units of which the first 120 are expected to arrive by 5th of March, IOM Banda Aceh has requested the Ministry of Public Works to provide the land registration documentation for the first site allocated to IOM by the local government in Tingkeum, Darul Imarah Sub-District. The site covers approximately 2 hectares. It is estimated that between 100 and 150 transitional shelter units can be built on this site. The head of the village has provided IOM with a list of 107 Tsunami affected families who will eventually live in these transitional shelter units.
Water and Sanitation:
As noted in the highlights, concerns with the water and sanitation situation throughout the affected areas remains obvious and the current capacity to deal with the situation is being reviewed. Meanwhile, WHO reports that since the water brought in by the Tsunami is still stagnant in some areas, it is important to review the salination level of areas where people are currently settling or want to return.
According to UNICEF, the major issues in the IDP settlements include the ratio of people to latrines, poor refuse collection and septic tank overflows. Meanwhile, the major challenge to providing services is the fluid number of IDPs settlements due to the high mobility of displaced people from one area to another.
Child Protection:
There is very high level of interest in supporting unaccompanied or separated children (UAC) in Aceh. The Organization of Islamic Conference chaired by Malaysian Prime Minister has pledged USD145 million for Aceh UAC's.
A joint assessment on broader child protection issues is also being planned. UNICEF will lead this process, and other international organizations will participate in the design and data collection/analysis process. UNICEF will compile and produce the results.
The Vice President's office has directed the Ministry of Social Affairs to complete the registration of all IDP children by 25 March 2005. The Ministry of Social Affairs will send a letter to all religious organizations, pesantrens (religious boarding schools), orphanages and lines ministries to report the existence of IDP children in their boarding/orphanage facilities and to open access for registration of separated/unaccompanied children.
Trafficking:
ILO is finalizing an assessment on women empowerment and trafficking in Aceh. The assessment confirms the existence of the problem and predicts a rise in the cases of women and children trafficked for the purposes of exploitation due to the increased vulnerability of these groups after the tsunami. The report shall be made available shortly to all interested agencies. ILO will plan interventions based on the findings of the assessment.
Livelihoods:
Under UNDP's cash for work project, Banda Aceh's General Hospital and Islamic University (Institut Agama Islam Negeri) have resumed operations, following the successful clearance of all rubble and debris by approximately 1,300 employees. UNDP's Aceh office currently employs 1,870 workers under its cash for work project and eventually plans to scale up activities to employ some 30,000 people.
IOM Banda Aceh's counter trafficking staff are currently undertaking a mapping exercise in Bireun and Pidie to assess what type of livelihood and relief assistance is required for Tsunami affected populations with special emphasis placed on the needs of women and children.
ILO reported that its ESPNAD programme has registered approximately 4,500 job seekers, of which only 120 have managed to find jobs. It has been identified that professions such as nurses and carpenters are in high demand. Furthermore, ILO has also produced information kits to raise public awareness and to promote ESPNAD programmes.
The center has started its English conversation courses on 22nd of February for 8 groups consisting of 20 registered job seekers. Due to high demand, about 70 people are still on a waiting list.
In regard to infrastructure rehabilitation and reconstruction, ILO's national and international consultants have developed a set of initial projects with short-term impact. Under these initial projects, some of the major ongoing activities include the development and implementation of crash course on concrete works and masonry skills training, the development and implementation of a crash course for supervisors on debris clearing, as well as technical assistance to ongoing cash-for-work activities.
Other Sectors
Fisheries:
FAO conducted an assessment along the east coast and estimated that at least USD 30 million will be required to rebuild Aceh's fishing fleets, although the costs could rise substantially once the situation along the west coast is included. Whole fishing fleets have been wiped out and there is concern that some fishermen may not wish to resume their livelihood following the disaster. It is estimated that more than 6,600 fishermen died (11 per cent of the total along east coast), while about 5,200 boats (46 per cent of the fleet) were lost. FAO estimates that at least USD 9 million worth of wood will be required to build new boats, while a further USD 20 million will be needed for nets, engines and other fishing gear.
Infrastructure:
The Asian Development Bank approved an emergency fund of USD 600 million in seed money to restore vital services and rebuild infrastructure in the tsunami-affected countries. The money is to help restore water supply and sanitation, electricity and communications, health and education as well as roads, railways and ports. It may also be used for housing, agriculture and fisheries, restoring livelihood and containment of environmental damage.
Family reunification:
ICRC with its local partner PMI reported that since early January their activities have resulted in the successful restoration of 2,412 family links, primarily through satellite phones, including reuniting children with their families. The number of 'persons sought' and 'I am alive' registrations had reached 15,146 at 21 February.
Coordination
An initial coordination meeting was held in Lhok Nga in Aceh Besar with the participation of the local authorities, NGOs and INGOs, and chaired by OCHA, covering various sectors and to discuss the main issues of concern for that area. The topics raised were related to concerns about coordination in the health sector, with INGOs duplicating efforts and examples of people visiting various facilities in few days and being provided with different medicines without a tracking system in place. While health services were covered to the extent of overlapping, the educational representatives felt that little attention was being paid to the two remaining High Schools which have suffered heavy losses in students and teachers alike. Preparations for major exams, which are scheduled for April are underway.
IFRC has presented the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement's consolidated recovery plan to the Indonesian government's Ministry for Planning.
Logistics
TNI, DSS, UNHAS, UNJLC and OCHA met to discuss air traffic control security and to agree on the procedure for clearance for helicopter movement.
NGO Representatives and UNHAS, DSS UNJLC and OCHA meet to discuss the procedures for MEDIVAC for NGO Staff and of Patients from clinics run by NGO's.
Road:
Due to road erosion, caused by heavy traffic, deliveries from Meulaboh to Arogan are slow and to Teunom impossible. Meanwhile, road further north to Lhong is now open to limited truck traffic and the road continues to be improved.
As of today, IOM has moved and distributed some 13,684 MT of relief items from Jakarta and Medan to NAD by land.
Air:
With the official inauguration of 21st of February of the first passenger flights on the Twin Otter, UNHAS facilitates easy-movement of humanitarian staff to/from Meulaboh and Banda Aceh. The flights operate on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. All bookings are to be arranged by contacting UNHAS.
To date, IOM Banda Aceh has facilitated the transshipment of 1,231 MTs of relief items arriving at Sultan Iskandar Muda Military Airbase for further distribution by helicopters at first by the US NAVY until 31 January and now by the Japanese Self Defense Force (JSDF) to Tsunami affected persons camps and host communities.
Warehousing:
The location of warehousing in Banda Aceh remains a constraint for smooth flow of cargo in and out of warehouses. WFP is actively searching for alternate space.
Port warehousing in Aceh Besar is being improved and WFP expects to install 3 more wickhalls in the port area to bring the total up to 5.
For the latest comprehensive report regarding logistics, please see UNJLC's latest situation report at www.unjlc.org
Useful websites:
Government:
www.bakornaspbp.go.id
(National Coordination Board for Natural Disaster Management)
www.acehrecovery.bakornaspbp.go.id.
www.depsos.go.id
(Department of Social Affairs)
www.depkes.go.id
(Department of Health)
www.lin.go.id
(National Information Board-Ministry of Information and Communication)
www.info-ri.com
(Information-Republic Indonesia)
Other:
www.
coe-dmha.org/tsunami.htm (daily
chronology of key events)
www.apan-info.net
- tsunami page (Pacific Command)
For detailed information please contact:
Michael Elmquist
Chief, OCHA Indonesia
Tel. 62 21 314 1308
Fax. 62 21 319 00 003
Mobile 62 811 996 594
Regina Rahadi
Emergency Response Officer
Tel. 62 21 314 1308 ext 151
Fax. 62 21 319 00 003
Mobile 62 811 939 479