OCHA Situation Report No. 5 Cambodia - Floods 20 September 2000
Floods triggered by this year's monsoon rainfall have continued to cause extensive damage in several South and Southeast Asian countries. Over the last few weeks, the water levels of the Mekong river and its tributaries have risen and the flood situation in Cambodia, Viet Nam, Thailand and Lao has deteriorated. The Cambodian Prime Minister reiterated the Government's appeal for international emergency assistance. A UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination Team was dispatched to Cambodia. General Information 1. The source of the Mekong river is in western China. This is the longest river in Southeast Asia, stretching over about 4,350 km and with a basin area of about 810,000 square km. The river forms part of the border between Myanmar and Lao, as well as between Lao and Thailand, and flows through Lao, Cambodia and Viet Nam before entering the South China Sea. Waters from the Khorat Plateau of Thailand, from most of Cambodia and from the western slopes of the Annamese Cordillera in Laos and Viet Nam all drain into the lower Mekong basin, before the river divides into two streams at its delta in Viet Nam. Most of the flow into the lower basin can be attributed to rainfall, and the river reflects the variations in seasonal rainfall caused by monsoon winds. During the southwest monsoon season from July to October, water levels reach their highest; this occurs as early as August or September in the upper reaches of the river, and as late as October in the southern reaches. 2. Flood situation in Lao According to an alert report issued by IFRC on 15 September, Lao is currently experiencing its worst flooding for 35 years. While the water levels in the north and middle basin of the Mekong river have been steadily decreasing and the trend is expected to continue, the water levels in the lower basin (Thakhek to Pakse, 300 to 700 km downstream from Vientiane) continue to flow above warning level and floods are expected to be prolonged there. The Laotian Ministry of Agriculture estimates that of 344,500 ha of agricultural land, 61,744 ha (18%) have been affected, while 48,724 ha of crops (14%) have been lost (worth USD 23.6 million). In all, 18,423 families (97,075 persons) in 406 villages have been reportedly affected and these figures are expected to increase when further reports are available from currently inaccessible flood affected areas. Following a rapid assessment carried out by the Lao Red Cross (LRC), the Laotian Government is initiating an immediate relief operation, distributing family kits to the 7,000 worst affected families in the seven provinces of Louang Namtha, Bolikhamaxay, Kham Muane, Savannakhet, Champassak, Saravan and Vientiane. IFRC is assessing the situation in cooperation with LRC and plans to launch a preliminary appeal for international assistance in the near future. No request for international assistance from the Laotian Government has been received by OCHA to date. 3. Flood situation in Thailand The UN Resident Coordinator's Office is in close contact with the Civil Defense Division of the Department of Local Administration in the Thai Ministry of the Interior, which is closely monitoring and assessing the flood situation. No request for international assistance has been received by OCHA to date. 4. Flood situation in Viet Nam Floodwater levels in the Mekong river delta have reached their highest levels for 40 years and are still rising. By 18 September, 26 people had been killed and 379,955 houses had been inundated/damaged. The flooding has driven up to 140,000 people from their homes. About 48,000 households seeking sanctuary from the floods on higher ground are in need of urgent assistance. The floods have also caused extensive damage to rice and other crops as well as schools and the road network. The total economic losses are estimated at VND 380 billion (USD 27 million). Following an assessment mission led by the Deputy Prime Minister, the Vietnamese Government has decided to allocate an amount of VND 32 billion (USD 2.3 million) for the four flooded southern provinces of Long An, Dong Thap, An Giang and Kien Giang in addition to their previous allocation of VND 17 billion (USD 1.2 million). Although the Government has made no formal request for international assistance, international assistance would nonetheless be welcome. Following the preliminary appeal of 13 September, IFRC launched a revised appeal on 18 September seeking CHF 2,584,180 (approximately USD 1.55 million) in cash, kind and services to assist 125,000 beneficiaries for 3 months. In response to IFRC's appeal, the Governments of Canada, Denmark, Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States have decided to provide contributions and the UN System (UNDP, UNICEF and WFP) will provide relief assistance in cash and kind. Further information is available on the OCHA Internet Website at http://www.reliefweb.int as well as on the Website of the Disaster Management Unit (UNDP/DMU) at the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development at http://www.undp.org.vn/dmu 5. The following report on the flood situation in Cambodia is based on information provided by the UN Resident Coordinator in Phnom Penh as well as an initial report prepared by the OCHA Regional Disaster Response Advisor (RDRA) for Asia who was dispatched to Cambodia on 15 September to assist the UN Resident Coordinator and the UNDMT in Phnom Penh in assessing the flood situation and coordinating the UN system and international response. Flood Situation in Cambodia 6. Water levels in Cambodia continue to flow above warning level. The water levels in the capital Phnom Penh reached 11.17 m on 19 September, the highest level ever recorded (the maximum so far was 10.93 m in 1996). Various areas of the capital are reported to be vulnerable to the rising waters, as well as Roads 1, 5, 6A and 11 (from Prey Veng to Neak Loeung). The continued increase of water levels will prolong the flooding and slow the drainage process. The Cambodian Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology (MWRM) provided the following information on water levels: Water Level (in metres) (recorded up to 19 September 2000) ++ Station 14 Sep 19 Sep Predicted Level Warning Level 20 Sep 21 Sep 22 Sep Mekong River: 11.34 10.78 - Stung 22.45 22.36 22.14 21.90 Treng 15.80 15.89 15.70 15.48 - Kratie 8.00 8.10 8.12 8.14 - Kg. Cham - Nak Loeng 21.64 15.24 8.12 10.70 22.00 15.20 7.50 Basack River: - Chhatomouk 11.05 11.17 11.19 11.18 + 7.81 7.89 7.91 7.93 - Kah Khel 11.17 7.91 10.50 7.40 Tonle Sap: - Prek Kdam 9.99 10.15 10.10 10.09 10.08 9.50 + in Phnom Penh ++ Source: Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology, Cambodia Impact 7. According to an official report provided by the Cambodian National Committee for Disaster Management (NCDM), by 17 September 17 out of the total 23 provinces and municipalities had been affected: Stung Treng, Kratie, Kompong Cham, Prey Veng, Takeo, Kompong Thom, Siem Reap, Koh Kong, Oddor Meanohey, Svay Rieng, Kandal, Kampot, Prey Veng, Phnom Penh, Kompong Chnaing, Rattana Kiri and Pursat. The main impact of the floods has been as follows (up until 17 September): - Districts affected: 96 - Families affected: 296,701 (increase by 175,701 from 13 September) - People affected: 1,418,125 (increase by 813,125 from 13 September) - People killed: 97 - People injured: 53 - Rice flooded / destroyed: 137,000 ha / 120,000 ha - Subsidiary Crops flooded / destroyed: 25,000 ha / 23,000 ha - Houses flooded / destroyed: 107,314 / 1,967 8. Due to the current high water levels, it is difficult to assess the scope and extent of the damage caused by the floods. However, it is anticipated that quite a substantial part of the crops will be severely damaged. The floods have also caused extensive damage to transport irrigation, community water supply and communication infrastructures, schools and health centres. Further assessment will have to be carried. Immediate Needs 9. According to IFRC, the most immediate needs are food and shelter, the replacement or repair of destroyed and damaged homes, household items, sanitation facilities and the prevention of the spread of waterborne diseases. Public health facilities are also a priority in those communities displaced by the floods or whose personal or community resources have been depleted as a result of the floodwaters. National Response 10. Cambodian Government agencies, including NCDM, MWRM and the Ministries of Health, Defence, Transport and Agriculture, have adopted all possible measures to cope with the flood situation in close cooperation with local authorities as well as with the Cambodian Red Cross (CRC). 11. So far 13,623 families in the 9 provinces of Kandal, Stung Treng, Kratie, Kompong Cham, Takeo, Prey Veng, Svay Rieng, Koh Kong and Kampot and the municipality of Phnom Penh, have received relief supplies, including rice, plastic sheets, Krama (scarves), fuel and sandbags, from the Government. The CRC has also distributed 403 tons of rice and relief supplies such as mosquito nets, diesel oil, medicines, plastic sheets, household kits etc. and will provide the affected population with a further 286 tons of rice. 12. The NCDM and CRC are continuing to carry out joint assessments in the affected areas. Appeal for International Assistance 13. As a follow-up to the previous requests from the Government for international humanitarian assistance, the Cambodian Prime Minister reiterated the appeal to the international community for emergency relief assistance. International Response 14. On 20 September IFRC revised the budget of its Emergency Appeal up to CHF 4,049,830 (approximately USD 2,320,000) to assist 500,000 potential beneficiaries for 9 months. 15. In response to IFRC's appeal, the Governments of the United Kingdom and Australia have decided to provide GBP 250,000 (USD 362,000) and AUD 250,000 (USD 147,000) respectively. The Canadian Government has also contributed the total amount of CAD 100,000 (USD 68,000) to IFRC's appeals on the floods in Cambodia and Viet Nam. The United States allocated USD 25,000 to the American Red Cross, in addition to its previous contribution of USD 25,000 in August. The Japanese Government has provided in-kind contributions of tents, plastic sheets and blankets worth USD 187,000 as well as a cash contribution of USD 100,000 bilaterally. The British Department for International Development (DFID) has sent a two-person assessment mission to Cambodia last week. 16. The UN system in Cambodia is closely monitoring the flood situation in consultation with the Cambodian Government. On 18 September the UN Resident Coordinator and members of the UNDMT accompanied the Cambodian Prime Minister on a field trip and discussed possible UN assistance. 17. As agreed between the Prime Minister and the UN Resident Coordinator, OCHA decided to dispatch a 3-member UNDAC Team led by the OCHA RDRA, who is already in situ, to Cambodia. The other 2 members are due to join the RDRA on 20 September. The team will assist with on-site assessments in the worst affected areas and mobilization of resources from the international community for emergency relief and initial rehabilitation programmes. 18. A Heads of UN Agencies and UNDMT meeting, co-chaired by the UN Resident Coordinator and the WFP representative, was held on 18 September. It was decided that the UNDMT, with support from the UNDAC team, would assist the Government in further assessments of the situation and, based on the findings, decide on a course of action. 19. It was reported at the meeting that UNDP is looking at the possibility of using special funding to respond to the call for seeds in order to ensure sustainable livelihoods for poor famers in the wake of the floods. UNICEF indicated that the Community Action for Social Development Programme (CASD) has already initiated a process to provide 23,000 families with fast growing vegetable seeds for household gardens in the affected provinces. CASD is also developing plans to assist the Government and communities to clean contaminated water sources and repair water pumps destroyed by the floods. WHO has provided financial and technical support to the Ministry of Health and provincial health authorities, including an initial grant of USD 5,000 to the Ministry of Health in July. FAO has funds to assist with the provision of an initial 12 MT of seeds and is considering further assistance. A joint FAO/WFP Crop and Food Supply Assessment mission may be conducted once the floods have sufficiently receded. 20. WFP has a nationwide network of sub-offices with well-trained field staff as well as communications and logistics resources, including a trucking fleet managed by CRC, and warehouses with a storage capacity of up to 15,000 MT. Food-for-Work Programmes are implemented in many of the flood-affected areas, with the Ministry of Rural Development (MRD) as the main counterpart. Since the beginning of the floods, WFP has been working closely with the NCDM and the Red Cross Movement to monitor the situation and provide relief supplies; so far 65 MT of food have been distributed to flood victims in Kampong Cham, Kraite and Svay Rieng. WFP is well placed to further respond to the emerging situation under its on-going Protracted Relief and Recovery Operation (PRRO) and has food stocks available in the required provinces. 21. CARE is distributing over 100 tons of food and more than 9,000 sandbags to support local relief efforts and is hoping to raise additional funds to deal with both urgent and longer- term needs arising from the floods. The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) has provided relief assistance for 1,000 affected families in Takeo and Kratie provinces. Action by Churches Together (ACT) is closely monitoring the situation in consultation with the Cambodian office of Lutheran World Federation (LWF). 22. OCHA is prepared to serve as channel for cash contributions to be used for immediate relief assistance, in coordination/consultation with relevant organizations in the United Nations system. Funds should be transferred to OCHA account No. CO-590.160.0, Swift code: UBSWCHZ12A at the UBS AG, P.O. Box 2770, CH-1211 Geneva 2, with reference: OCHA ? Cambodia ? Floods. OCHA provides donors with written confirmation and pertinent details concerning the utilization of the funds contributed. 23. For coordination purposes, donors are requested to inform OCHA Geneva, as indicated below, on relief missions/pledges/contributions and their corresponding values by item. 24. 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 In case of emergency only: Tel. +41-22-917 20 10 Desk Officers: Ms. S. Metzner-Strack / Mr. R. Mueller / Mr. S. Matsuka Direct Tel. +41-22-917 21 44 / 31 31 / 40 34 Press contact: (in GVA) Mr. Donato Kiniger-Passigli, direct Tel. +41-22-917 26 53 (in NY) Ms. Phyllis Lee, direct Tel. +1-212-963 48 32 distributed by - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Volunteers in Technical Assistance Disaster Information Center lists: www.vita.org/listsub.htm sitreps nat-dsr web: www.vita.org fireline - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -