OCHA Situation Report No. 4
Ecuador - Volcano Tungurahua
5 September 2001


Situation

1.  According to the latest figures provided by the Civil Defense, some
39,000 people, or 8,000 families, have been affected by the recent
activities of the Tungurahua volcano. A total of 53,597 ha of farmland and
pastures have been affected, of which 17,017 ha are in the province of
Tungurahua, 28,580 in Chimborazo and 8,000 in Bolivar. 3,107 houses have
been damaged and 13,113 cattle have been affected, showing health problems
due to stress and new feed. Some have been evacuated. The situation is
under control for the time being, with no volcanic ash fall registered for
the last 10 days.


National / International Response

2.  An information meeting on the Volcanic Emergency in Ecuador, convened
by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the United Nations Resident
Coordinator, took place on 4 September. The meeting was attended by
diplomatic missions, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, United Nations
organizations, Red Cross Movement, the Civil Defense, and the Geophysical
Institute.

3.  The Civil Defense reported an increase in the number of people with
respiratory infections.

4.  Following the report that water supply systems were affected by
volcanic ash in several rural communities, water quality monitoring
equipment has been provided and distributed by WHO/Pan American Health
Organization (PAHO).

5.  Bilateral contributions (cash and in-kind) should be directed to:

   Direccion Nacional de Defensa Civil
   Av. Amazonas y Villalengua
   Quito, Ecuador
   Tel. +593-2-430 655 / 430 644 / 432 517
   Fax: +593-2-493 918


6.  For detailed information on medical needs, interested donors may
contact the Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Relief Coordination
Program, WHO/PAHO, as follows:

Tel. +1-202 974 3399
Fax +1-202 775 4578
E-mail: disaster@paho.org


Contributions/Pledges

  |--------+----------------------------------------------------|
  | France | - 1,600 food rations for 250 families for 8        |
  |        | weeks through WFP                                  |
  |        | - 250 boxes of medicines from SANOFI (French       |
  |        | company)                                           |
  |--------+----------------------------------------------------|
  | Spain  | - USD 120,000 through Ayuda en Accion, a Spanish   |
  |        | NGO, in coordination with the Ministry of          |
  |        | Agriculture and local authorities to implement a   |
  |        | relief project to assist 500 affected families in  |
  |        | rural areas (Construction of small stables for     |
  |        | cattle and Provision of feed supplements and       |
  |        | veterinary equipment)                              |
  |--------+----------------------------------------------------|
  | WFP    | - Through its EMOP valued at USD 200,000, WFP      |
  |        | intends to assist the hardest hit families in      |
  |        | Tungurahua, Chimborazo and Bolivar provinces.      |
  |        | - It is currently preparing for a second round     |
  |        | of food distribution in Tungurahua and Chimborazo, |
  |        | where 8,266 weekly family rations will be          |
  |        | distributed.                                       |
  |--------+----------------------------------------------------|


7.  Information on contributions to this disaster may be found by clicking
on Financial Tracking on the OCHA Internet Website, www.reliefweb.int.

8.  For coordination purposes, donors are requested to inform OCHA Geneva,
on relief missions/pledges/contributions and their corresponding values by
item.  Donors are encouraged to notify OCHA Geneva of their contributions
to this disaster using the OCHA Standardised Contributions Recording
Format, available electronically on the above-mentioned Financial Tracking
Website.

9.  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:

   Bank name:   Chase Manhattan Bank, NY
   Address:     International Agencies Branch
   1166, Avenue of Americas, 17th floor
   New York, NY 10036-2708 USA
   A/C name:    United Nations Geneva General Fund
   A/C:         485-001802
   ABA Code:    021000021 (US Banking Code)
   Swift Code:  CHASU33
   Reference:   OCHA - Ecuador - Volcano Tungurahua


OCHA provides donors with written confirmation and pertinent details
concerning the utilization of the funds contributed.

10.  This Situation Report and further information on ongoing emergencies
are also available on the OCHA Website at http://www.reliefweb.int


Telephone: +41-22-91712 34
Fax: +41-22-917 00 23
E-mail: ochagva@un.org

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

Desk Officers:
  Mr. Erik Haegglund / Ms. Masayo Kondo
  Direct Tel. +41-22-917 3299 / 1997

Press contact:
  (GVA)  Ms. Elizabeth Byrs Direct Tel. +41-22-917 26 56
  (NYC)  Ms. Phyllis Lee, direct Tel. +1-212-963 48 32


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