OCHA Situation Report No. 4
Afghanistan - Earthquake
11 March 2002


Situation

1.  On 3 March, an earthquake measuring 7.2 on the Richter Scale resulted
in a landslide in Karyia-e-Zoa settlement in Samanghan province, where two
sections of a cliff fell and produced approximately 30,000 m3 of rubble,
blocking the river and making it rise at an estimated rate of 3m per day.
In addition, the collapse of the cliff interrupted the existing road link
between Aybak and Khuram Sarbagh, and the rising water continues to
destroy the road, which was not immediately affected by the landslide.
About 5 m3 of water per second is flowing into the "reservoir" which is
being formed. The rising of water level is significant and it appears
possible that up to 70 percent of the village could be inundated as the
flood is rapidly approaching the village.


National and International Response

2.  IOM, UNICEF and WFP have provided emergency relief assistance to 400
families in the affected area, and pre-positioned relief assistance for
another 200 families in both Mazar-i-Sharif and Aybak in case of further
need. A team of local NGOs has been tasked to monitor the situation and
report to UNOCHA on any dramatic changes in the situation that may warrant
further emergency relief assistance to any other families that may be
displaced over the next few weeks. Such monitoring will be required until
the water level is fully stabilised or reduced.

3.  UNOCHA is also working with GOAL, the focal provincial coordination
organisation for Samanghan province under the Northern Region Afghan
coordination structure, to prepare a concept paper and indicative cost for
the next phase of rehabilitation. It is estimated that approximately 700
houses should be reconstructed, for which the provision of skilled and
unskilled labour, beams, windows, doors and other construction material
will be required.

4.  On the technical side, the engineering team led by UNOCHA/UN Mine
Action Programme and joined by technical staff from ICRC, HALO Trust, GOAL
and other NGOs continued visiting and working on site. The technical team
has decided to take a two-pronged approach to emergency engineering
response. The first included HALO Trust bringing in two loaders and having
a technical team working on the spot from 5 March. Within two days the
team managed to remove about 120 m3 of rubble and dig a channel through
the main blockage on 8 March. This has allowed a water outflow at a rate
of less than 5 m3 per second, reducing the water level dramatically, but
not completely. The second approach was to use high volume centrifugal
pumps for discharging water. UNOCHA facilitated air transportation of two
water pumps (on WFP helicopters) provided by ICRC on 6 March that had the
capacity to discharge up to 100,000 litres of water per hour. A team of
GOAL, SHA, HALO Trust and UNOCHA was dispatched to continue working on the
engineering side. The team included a geologist to advise on the rock face
that still looked very fragile. ICRC also provided other material required
for this task, including hoses, valves and fuel, while IOM pre-positioned
additional fuel in Aybak. The effect of using these pumps was rather small
due to their limited discharge capacity. The geologist considers the cliff
face very fragile and bound to fall, but it has been difficult to
determine when this would happen due to the lack of necessary technical
equipment. In addition, a four-member team of engineers from the ISAF
visited the disaster site on 11 March to assist in assessing the situation
and making recommendations to address the problem.

5.  In order to eliminate the existing danger of the rising water
threatening further inundation of land, approximately half of the blockage
(15,000 m3) will have to be removed. There is also a risk that an
additional part of the cliff face would fall and impede all rehabilitation
work. Agencies on the ground are currently mobilising the following
resources to organise a response:

  i. A geo-technical expert (within the next 2 days);
 ii. One plant and one construction engineer with survey equipment
     (within the next 2 days);
iii. Two large excavators with approximately 8 to 10 metres reach of
     wench with spare parts;
 iv. High capacity (preferably 6-inch) salvage pumps;
  v. Four steel gas pipes, each 3.5 metre long and about 1 metre in
     diameter;
 vi. Concrete culvert pipes (preferably 1 metre in diameter and 1 metre
     long);
vii. Two TV-130 hydraulic bulldozers.


6.  OCHA is in close contact with UNOCHA Offices in Afghanistan and will
revert with further information, as it becomes available.

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


Telephone: +41-22-91712 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. Ivo Freijsen, Mr. Anvar Munavvarov
  Direct Tel. +41-22-917 1695/1669

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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