OCHA Situation Report No. 32
Earthquake and Tsunami
Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Somalia and Maldives
18 March 12005


Main Highlights

In Indonesia, the Government of Indonesia announced in a media release
that it "will extend the transition period to reconstruction past March
26, 2005 for a period of 30-60 days initially."

In Sri Lanka, classroom attendance is hampered by a lack of
transportation to schools in Ampara District.

In the Maldives, reports of sexual abuse against children in host and
displaced communities have been received.

In Somalia, a joint UNEP/OCHA Geneva mission is investigating reported
hazardous waste and nuclear deposits dumped along the Somalia coastline,
which may have been negatively affected by the impact of the tsunami.

Financial Highlights

As of 14 March, out of US$872 million pledged to the Flash Appeal by
official donors on or after 11 January, US$544 million has been
contributed ("paid," "disbursed").  A further US$196 million has been
committed.  (544 + 196 = 740, meaning that 85% of official Flash Appeal
pledges have been converted into commitments or contributions.)
Private donors have contributed an additional US$353 million, and UN
agencies have allocated US$6 million from their own resources.  The rest
remain uncommitted official pledges.

On 11 November 2004, the UN Secretary-General launched 14 Consolidated
Appeals to address the needs of 26 million people.  To date, only 12% of
the required US$ 1.7 billion has been pledged.


REGIONAL

On 18 March in Geneva, the Special Coordinator for the UN Response to
the Tsunami-Affected Countries, Margareta Wahlstrom, and HCs from
Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Somalia and India will brief member
states during an information meeting on the situation in the
tsunami-affected countries.


INDONESIA

I. Situation

On 14 March BAKORNAS reported that 126,296 bodies have been buried,
93,837 people are missing and 400,062 are displaced in 20
districts/cities in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam Province (NAD), of which
some 41,855 have moved into the Temporary Living Centres (TLCs) provided
by the Government.  In North Sumatra Province, the numbers of people
buried, missing, and displaced remain at 130, 24 and 19,620.

In a media release issued on 17 March, the Government of Indonesia
announced that, "[in] order to allow time for maximum participation from
all relevant parties and in view of the meaningful contribution that
humanitarian organizations have made and will continue to make, the
Government of Indonesia will extend the transition period to
reconstruction past March 26, 2005 for a period of 30-60 days initially.
This time may be extended if necessary to ensure that the transition to
reconstruction is carried out effectively and transparently. The Foreign
Affairs Department will establish a mechanism for visa application and
renewal, with details to be announced after March 20, 2005."  Special
Coordinator Margareta Wahlstrom, travelled to Indonesia from 10 to 12
March and attended various meetings in Jakarta and Banda Aceh. In these
meetings the Government of Indonesia stressed the need to focus on
reconstruction programs and the importance of conducting long-term
projects.

II. Overview of Activities

Representatives of national and provincial government, local NGOs,
international bodies, including the Asian Development Bank, World Bank
and UNDP gathered from 11-13 March to develop guidelines for the Master
Plan (also referred to as the 'blueprint') on rehabilitation and
reconstruction for the 2005-2009 period. Participants focused on
objectives, policies, strategies, project frameworks, timelines and
desired outcomes. The nine-day Public Consultation on the Master Plan,
where the public was invited to discuss various issues ranging from
security to spatial planning, has now concluded.  The Consultation will
continue across the province through a series of district-by-district
consultations supported by the UNDP's Governance unit. The Master Plan
will be released on 26 March 2005.

III. Main Challenges

In response to the shortage of water, a special task force from the
UNICEF-led water and sanitation-working group in Banda Aceh has been
established. The Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) and the IFRC are taking a
lead role. IFRC reported that as a short-term solution, water production
will be increased and tankers will deliver drinking water to the TLCs.
This will be complemented by the installation of water tanks to provide
sufficient on-site storage. Longer-term options are being sought, and
include drilling deeper wells and connecting the sites to the local
water distribution system.

Some displaced people, particularly those in Banda Aceh and Aceh Besar,
have been reluctant to move into the TLCs provided by the Government due
to sanitation problems caused by the limited number of latrines and
limited desludging capacity. Sanitation needs will be addressed through
the construction and upgrading of latrines, the establishment of solid
waste collection programs, desludging of tanks, as well as immediate
training and deployment of PMI volunteers.

The resumption of waste collection from households and markets has now
begun. The rubbish collection infrastructure was almost entirely
destroyed, and the problem of disposing of household waste is becoming
critical.  As of last week, UNDP provided five dump trucks and 25
labourers under the 'Cash for Work' programme, although a shortage of
labour and equipment remains.  UNICEF and WHO have ordered containers to
replace those destroyed in the tsunami.

IOM has accepted a National Planning Board (BAPENAS) request to
coordinate a province-wide Damage Assessment of Housing and Settlements,
a mammoth ground survey of tsunami-affected structures in 12 provinces
of NAD. IOM expects to complete the survey and issue the final report
within six weeks. The new survey will supplement the preliminary damage
assessment prepared by the Indonesian Government, World Bank, and the
Asian Development Bank, with important contributions from numerous local
and international humanitarian aid organizations. The assessment,
completed within three weeks of the disaster, concluded that the tsunami
had caused an estimated $4.5 billion damage in NAD.

The transportation of relief and reconstruction cargo by sea has become
more frequent. The port of Belawan (Medan) currently has a backlog of
uncleared containers, some 60% of which are humanitarian aid. UNJLC is
working with Medan Posko and customs authorities to simplify procedures
for humanitarian aid.

The USNS Mercy Hospital ship left on 16 March. The 1000-bed hospital
ship had been providing medical services in Aceh since February 2005.

IV. Link Between Emergency Activities and Livelihood Recovery

As of 14 March, the joint ILO and Ministry of Manpower and
Transmigration Employment Services have registered 8,024 skilled people
and 1,178 unskilled people for 'Cash for Work" activities. A special
effort was made during the week of International Women's Day, in which
some 1,000 women have registered with the Center (20% of the total
number of people registered). ILO is organizing the first series of
short courses in sewing, computer skills and furniture making, together
with the Provincial Manpower Office in Banda Aceh. The courses provide
practical skills for adolescents between the age of 15 ? 17 years to
enable them to seek employment in non-exploitative and non-hazardous
environments. ILO's infrastructure team is also promoting capacity
building for construction craftsmen.

V. Useful Websites

Government:

www.bakornaspbp.go.id (National Coordination Board for Natural Disaster
Management)

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)

www.humanitarianinfo.org - Humanitarian Information Centre (HIC)


SRI LANKA

I. Situation

A joint mechanism for the distribution of aid in LTTE-controlled areas
negotiated by the Government of Norway is still under discussion.

On 10 March the Paris Club, a group of 19 of the world's richest
creditor nations, offered to freeze Sri Lanka's debt payments until the
end of 2005. The Sri Lankan government accepted this offer and indicated
that it would lobby the G8 group of nations to also freeze its debt
repayments until 2006 or 2007.

II. Overview of Activities

The UN Humanitarian Information Centre (HIC) has begun short-term
deployments of its staff to the field in order to assist in information
management at the district level. Liaison officers are now working in
Galle, while deployment to Ampara and Jaffna will take place this week.

The UN Interagency Working Group on Communications is undertaking a
survey of a sample population of 2,500 people in nine Sri Lankan
provinces to determine their sources of news and information. The goal
of the mission is to coordinate and share information with a view to
strengthening UN inter-agency collaboration in Sri Lanka.

UNICEF has contributed to the renovation of the children's ward of the
Mutthur District Hospital in Trincomalee and the primary health care
centre in Vadamarachchi East, the antenatal care and baby clinics at
Peripheral Unit Pallai, which provides care for people in area transit
camps. Additionally funding has been provided to increase staff capacity
at the female ward of the District Hospital in Killinochchi.

Fourteen locally designed transitional accommodations, a community
centre and a recreational area have been completed by IOM in Batticaloa,
while construction of an additional 116 transitional accommodations has
begun. 80 transitional accommodations are complete in Ampara while 19
more are under construction. In the past four weeks IOM has provided 258
lorries to transport relief items for the Government of Sri Lanka,
international organizations, NGOs and donors.

III. Main Challenges

FAO cautioned relief organizations to limit the distribution of small
canoes for fear that a large number of canoes could lead to the
depletion of near-shore fish stocks, ultimately reducing the incomes of
fishing communities. While relief agencies indicate a willingness to
provide a total of 10,423 canoes, the government estimates that only
6,886 were destroyed on 26 December 2004. FAO therefore urges relief
agencies to coordinate their activities more closely with local
government fishery departments.

Relief supplies are gradually clearing customs. According to IOM, 522 of
its family tents were Released, while 428 family tents are presently
held at Colombo Sea Port awaiting clearance. UNICEF reported that 4
gully bowsers, 500 tents and 10 Landcruisers were among those items
released from customs last week. A quantity of other goods, including
adult hygiene kits, clothing, and household items have also been
cleared. Among UNICEF items, still in the seaport, are 124 motorbikes, 5
vans, an ambulance, 11 other vehicles and 1,500 tents.

The management of the airport warehouse for humanitarian commodities was
handed over by the John Keels team to the Airport Authority Sri Lanka
(AASL). IOM staff will continue to temporarily assist with the
registration of cargo as 15 tons of relief items remain to be cleared,
in addition to 24 vehicles.

UNICEF reports from Thirukkovil IDP camp in Ampara that classroom
attendance is hindered by a lack of transport for children to their
school, which is more than 5 kilometers away from the camp. The District
Secretariat and the government agent are working with UNICEF to provide
a bus service for the students. At a "Tsunami-Affected Children's Get
Together" event in Colombo on 11 March, the Sri Lankan NGO, Samata
Sarana, presented UNICEF school kits to 1,800 children. The children
were from 34 schools in the Colombo North Education Zone.

IV. Link between Emergency Activities and Livelihood Recovery

Four heavily damaged locations in Galle District have been selected for
repair and reconstruction activities supported by UNHABITAT and UNDP.
Some 250 tsunami-affected houses are being reconstructed and livelihood
schemes developed. IOM has recently constructed 15 temporary buildings
to be used as schools, 13 in Ampara and 2 in Batticaloa. In Matara
district, IOM assisted 100 families to develop their sewing industry
through provision of training, sewing machines and raw materials for
initial production.

A local NGO, the Arthachrya Foundation, is ensuring the participation of
the local community and communication with the local authorities, and
UNDP's "Urban Governance Support Project" is assisting with community
empowerment aspects, information gathering and capacity building.

V. Useful Websites

Humanitarian Information Centre:  www.humanitarianinfo.org/srilanka

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA):
www.ochaonline.org

Sri Lankan Department of Census and Statistics:
www.statistics.gov.lk/Tsunami/index.htm

Government of Sri Lanka: www.priu.gov.lk

Recoverlanka: www.recoverlanka.net

Geolanka: www.geolanka.net

Sir Lankan Taskforce for Rebuilding the Nation (TAFREN):
www.tafren.gov.lk

For access to additional informative web links:
http://www.humanitarianinfo.org/srilanka/infocentre/links/links.asp


MALDIVES

I. Situation

The Maldives Development Partners' Meeting for Post-Tsunami Response was
held in Manila on 17 March, with the support of UNDP. The meeting was
chaired by the Government of Maldives and co-sponsored by the Asian
Development Bank, Islamic Development Bank, UNDP and the World Bank. The
meeting included discussions on post-tsunami reconstruction and
rehabilitation, with a view to soliciting the active participation of
development partners in the recovery efforts. This meeting was held
back-to-back with the High-level Coordination Meeting on Rehabilitation
and Reconstruction Assistance to Tsunami-Affected Countries on 18 March
organized by the Asian Development Bank.

II. Overview of Activities

On 14 March, the Ministry of Healthy and UNICEF agreed on distribution
plans to affected islands for an additional 13 reverse osmosis
(desalination) plants. UNICEF is providing 23 desalination units in
total. The mobile Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) teams have
completed two rounds of vaccination for 18 atolls. Additionally UNICEF
has provided vaccines, vaccination and cold chain equipment to
facilitate, by early February, the resumption of immunisation activities
under the National Immunisation Programme. As a result, immunisation
levels for vaccine-preventable diseases should not fall below their
pre-crisis level of 95% global coverage.

WFP plans to distribute the complete food basket of rice, sugar, pulses
and oil, to the total assessed case load of 42,000 beneficiaries.

III. Main Challenges

"Mump" cases have been reported from the IDP settlements in Meemu Atoll
Kolhufhushi. Local authorities stated that although there were about 10
cases in the past week, the number of present cases has been reduced to
3, and the situation is now under control. Kolhufushi currently hosts
some 1,030 people in temporary shelters.

A UNEP Environmental Assessment conducted across 15 tsunami affected
islands revealed that 7 islands have high salinity and levels of nitrate
well above 100 mg/l in the ground water, representing a real hazard to
infants and pregnant women, with increased exposure to childhood
diabetes, hypertrophy of the thyroid and birth defects. It is speculated
that the source of high nitrate levels is an accumulative result dating
back to pre-tsunami sanitation and septic situations. Ground water is
often used in a number of islands for cooking and other purposes. UNEP
has recommended that families with infants under the age of one year be
provided with bottled water or with quality (NO3)-controlled Reverse
Osmosis water. WHO has informed the Ministry of Health and the Maldives
Water and Sanitation Authority (MWSA) and recommendations will be made
for conducting a joint quality surveillance programme with MWSA.

UNFPA and government ministries conducted a mission to Raa Atoll to
assess the situation of IDPs with respect to reproductive and
psychological issues. Temporary shelters are underway in all three of
these islands and are now nearing completion. The assessment identified
inadequate sanitation from a persistent lack of clean drinking water
overcrowding in temporary shelters. The mission also noted an increase
in the number of pregnancies since the tsunami, with women in the focus
group discussions reporting that many people were no longer using family
planning methods.

Informal reports of sexual abuse against children in host and displaced
communities are also a cause for concern.

IV. Link Between Emergency Activities and Livelihood Recovery

The UNFPA team noted that while some Island Women Development Committees
in the host communities were involved in income generating activities,
women belonging to displaced communities were often left with no
opportunities to earn small incomes.

UNDP, in collaboration with Banyan Tree Resort, has helped to complete
95% of shelter repair and reconstruction on Naalafushi, one of the most
severely affected islands and has initiated additional work on six other
islands. An agreement has been reached with the government on a total of
36 islands where UNDP and HABITAT will jointly support shelter
restoration in coordination with the IFRC and other key development
partners.

UNICEF supported the transport and other costs related to the temporary
teacher deployment exercise following the non-return of more than 200
expatriate teachers who were recruited from abroad. The Ministry of
Education reported that new expatriate teachers have been recruited and
deployed in all islands, reportedly solving the teacher shortage
problem.

UNICEF is working with the government to select additional schools for
Child-Friendly Learning (in addition to the 22 schools already selected
due to their disadvantaged situation). On school rehabilitation, the
Ministry of Education will work closely with UNOPS consultant to develop
a proposal for repair of damage to schools on all affected islands.
UNICEF has already provided support for 39 temporary classrooms in 9
schools.

V. Useful Websites

United Nations Maldives Disaster Relief Taskforce: http://202.1.199.67

Maldives National Disaster Management Centre:
http://www.tsunamimaldives.mv


OTHER INFORMATION

Field office contact Aishath Jeelaan, Communications Officer, United
Nations Resident Coordinator System, Tel: (960) 324501 ext. 227, mob:
(960) 787 987.


SOMALIA

I. Situation

The Inter-Agency Assessment Mission was distributed on 11 March
following the presentation of findings to the Puntland Authorities.
The assessment confirmed that the existing emergency responses in the
sectors of health, water, shelter, non-food items and food had largely
met the identified humanitarian needs of the 44,000 people in the
affected communities. The sectoral committees of the Somali Aid
Coordination Body in Nairobi are currently in the process of creating
sectoral response plans to address any remaining relief needs and
advance the development of recovery plans.

II. Overview of Activities

WFP is providing food assistance to 30,000 of the 40,000 inhabitants in
39 settlements and villages along the Puntland coastline.  The second
round of food distribution concluded on 13 March with 29,400
beneficiaries receiving 352 metric tonnes of food.  The third round will
start this week and plans to reach around 30,000 beneficiaries.  WFP
intends to continue providing food aid through different channels (e.g.
general and targeted distribution, Food for Work, Food for Training,
Food for Education, and mother & child health programmes) until at least
30 June 2005; a program extension is being considered until 31 December
2005.

FAO will undertake three programmes over the coming 6 months, focusing
on (a) damage assessment, (b) the appointment of a fisheries expert to
focus on the establishment of community fishing associations, and (c)
the provision of boats, engines, spare parts and fishing gear for those
in need of livelihood support.

III. Main Challenges

The Joint UNEP/OCHA Environment Unit in Geneva continues to look into
reported hazardous waste and nuclear deposits dumped along the Somalia
coastline, which may have been negatively affected by the impact of the
tsunami. Along with other partners, the Unit is planning an inter-agency
field assessment mission to identify the scope and nature of the problem
and to determine the follow up actions required. Any efforts would
likely be multi-disciplinary given the potential human health,
radiological, humanitarian, and environmental impacts.


PLEDGES - CONTRIBUTIONS

Regarding overall funding in response to the tsunami, according to the
information available to the United Nations:

The total amount pledged, committed or contributed to all recipients is
US $ 6.4 billion.  Of this amount: 90 governments and inter-governmental
organisations have pledged, committed or contributed US$5.8 billion.
Private persons and institutions have contributed at least US$ 615
million.

*The total amount pledged, committed or contributed to the UN-NGO Flash
Appeal is US$ 946 million.  Of this:

-- 55 governments have specifically pledged, committed or contributed
US$ 674 million to 16 UN agencies, and another US$53 million to NGOs and
other international organisations.

--10 governments have channelled US$29 million through OCHA for onward
distribution to implementing agencies.

-- Private persons and institutions have contributed US$ 353 million to
9 UN agencies as well as NGOs.**

-- The balance (US$117 million) consists of general pledges for the
Flash Appeal but not yet assigned or committed to any agency or NGO.

*UN agencies are informing FTS of the private contributions they
receive, but not all NGOs are; therefore this figure is known to be
understated.

** Agencies are re-allocating an as-yet-undetermined part of those funds
from Flash Appeal projects to medium-term reconstruction activities.

Updates on contributions to this disaster may be found on the Financial
Tracking Service (http://www.reliefweb.int/fts). Donors are requested to
verify this table and inform OCHA Geneva of
corrections/additions/values. Donors are encouraged to notify OCHA
Geneva of their contributions to this disaster using the OCHA
Standardized Contributions Recording Format, available electronically on
the above-mentioned FTS website.

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

Aid agencies are encouraged to use the Virtual On-Site Operations
Coordination Centre (OSOCC) at http://www.reliefweb.int to share
information on assistance and coordinate activities.

Telephone: +41-22-917 12 34
Fax: +41-22-917 00 23/06 28
E-mail: ochagva@un.org

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

Desk Officers:
   Ms. Marie Spaak/Ms. Hannah Entwisle
     Direct Tel. 41-22-917 1728/1155

Press contact:
   GVA - Ms. Elisabeth Byrs, direct Tel. ++41-22-917 26 53
   NYC - Ms. Stephanie Bunker, direct Tel. +1-917 367 51 26
   NYC - Mr. Brian Grogan, direct Tel. +1-212-963 11 43


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