OCHA Situation Report No. 7
Tajikistan: Compound Crisis
16 April 2008


Source:
UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

This report is based on information provided by the Rapid Emergency
Assessment and Coordination Team (REACT), the Committee of Emergency
Situations and the Office of the UN Resident Coordinator in Tajikistan.

HIGHLIGHTS

In view of the continuous high risk of flash floods/landslides, efforts
continue to urgently raise funds and purchase "Household Emergency
Assistance Package"(HEAP) to be pre-positioned in the most vulnerable
areas. A funding proposal for USD 1.4 million was presented on 8 April to
donors in Dushanbe.

In addition, the scale of locust's infestation is predicted to be
exceptionally high this year. USD 500,000 is being sought urgently by FAO
to treat the concerned areas and to avoid a potentially catastrophic
outbreak.

Clusters are reviewing the status of the response to the Flash Appeal,
with a view to issuing an update, including identified urgent additional
projects such as treatment of locust infested areas.

SITUATION

1. Likelihood of floods and landslides remain high all over the country
there are parallel threats related to localized drought.

2. Locusts infested areas are feared to exceed 150,000 hectares, an
increase of nearly thirty percent from 2007. This large increase is due to
both favourable weather conditions and incomplete spraying last year and
thus larger than normal amount of locusts' eggs developing to adult stage.
The pest is developing quicker and earlier than usual and action is
extremely time sensitive.

INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE

3. In a continued effort to mitigate the effects of a potential sudden
onset disaster, The Household Emergency Assistance Package proposal was
presented to the donors in Dushanbe last week, seeking urgent funding of
USD 1.4 million to purchase and preposition reserves of emergency shelter
and non-food items (i.e. items meeting basic needs in the areas of water,
sanitation, cooking) to a level which will permit the provision of
immediate assistance to up to 1, 500 households.

4. In addition, all clusters are reviewing their emergency stocks and
composing inventories of material, human and cash resources which could be
re-directed to supplement HEAP assistance packages. Food stocks,
sanitation and hygiene items, as well as education materials are being
identified for potential use in case of a sudden onset disaster. The
immediate response inventory should be completed by the following week.

5. FAO is appealing for USD 500,000 to cover the cost of procurement of
pesticides and equipment necessary to address locust infestation. Unless
funds are received by the third week of April, it is feared that it will
not be possible to avert a large outbreak.

6. According to information gathered in Dushanbe, the response to the
Flash Appeal has now reached USD 12.4 million, i.e. 49 percent of what has
been asked for in the appeal. The Government of Tajikistan also reports a
number of bilateral in-kind (food, fuel, non-food items) and cash
contributions. More information on contributions is available on
http://www.untj.org/?c=7&id=238.


   Sector       Amount     Amount   Committed    Unmet   Amount  Unmet
                Requested  Secured  / Projects   Funding Secured Funding
                (USD)      (USD)    Unspecified  (USD)   (%)     (%)

EMERGENCY     1,800,000  1,800,000        0       0      100%      0%
ENERGY

SANITATION    2,898,008  1,950,758        0    947,250    67%     33%
AND HYGIENE

HEALTH        2,694,470  1,710,988        0    983,482    63%     37%

SHELTER       2,065,251  2,081,911        0    -16,660   101%     -1%
AND NFIs

EDUCATION       701,000    531,426        0    169,574    76%     24%

FOOD         13,281,547  4,207,707        0  9,073,840    32%     68%
SHELTER

COORD. &      1,863,311    138,081        0  1,725,230     7%     93%
PREPAREDNESS

To be                 0          0  486,600
identified

Grand Total  25,303,587 12,420,871  486,600 12,882,716    49%     51%


7. Pending additional donor support, the UK Government made a tentative
pledge for the procurement of the Household Emergency Assistance Package.
This is expected to be confirmed next week.

Contact Details:

Tel: + 41-22-917 12 34
Fax: + 41 22 917 0023
E-mail: ochagva@un.org

In case of emergency only:
Tel. + 41 22 917 2010

UN Office in Tajikistan

Mr. Michael Jones
Resident Coordinator
Tel: + 992 47 441 0680

OCHA Office in Almaty:

Ms. Gabriella Waaijman
Tel: + 7 727 2528 643
+ 7 777 7809 071
E-mail: waaijman@un.org

Mr. Ali Buzurukov
Tel: + 7 727 2528 643
+ 7 777 7809 073
E-mail: buzurukov@un.org
(English and Russian speaking)


Desk Officers/Focal Points:

Ms. Severine Rey (New York)
Tel. + 1 917 367 5336
Fax: + 1 212 963 3630
E-mail: rey@un.org

Ms. AoibheannO'Keeffe (Geneva)
Tel. + 41 22 917 4329
E-mail: okeeffe@un.org


Press Contact:

(Geneva)
Ms. Elizabeth Byrs
Tel. + 41 22 917 2653
Fax: + 41 22 917 0020
E-mail: byrs@un.org

(New York)
Ms. Christina Bennett
Tel: + 1 917 367 8059
Fax: + 1 212 963 1312
E-mail: bennett1@un.org

(Dubai)
Ms. Nadia Evans
Tel. + 971 50 227 9808
E-mail: evans2@un.org

Attachments:
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/retrieveattachments?openagent&docid=4A558ADCB66D243F4925742E00112B89&file=Full_Report.pdf

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