OCHA Situation Report No. 4
Zimbabwe
31 March 2006


Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

Situational Update

Floods alarm has been raised by the Civil Protection Unit (CPU) as heavy
rains continue to fall across most of the country. The Zambezi valley
and other low lying areas risk suffering the floods.

The City of Harare announced on 26 March that it has issued 30-day
notices to embark on another clean-up campaign to rid the city of
illegal buildings and illicit business activities that have resurfaced
after last year's evictions and demolitions

New cholera cases continue to be reported. The table and map below show
statistics and the geographical spread of the outbreak.

NATIONAL (DAILY) CHOLERA UPDATE - 29-03-06 SUPPLIED BY THE WORLD HEALTH
ORGANIZATION

|-----------+--------+----------+--------+------+-------+--------------|
| PROVINCE  |DATE 0F |CONFIRMED | DEATHS |TOTAL |CUMUL. |  OUTBREAK    |
|           | ONSET  |  CASES   |        |CASES |CASES  |   STATUS     |
|           |        |          |        |      |(2006) |              |
|-----------+--------+----------+--------+------+-------+--------------|
|MANICALAND |        |    6     |   14   | 240  |   240 |The situation |
|           |        |          |        |      |       |in Chipinge   |
|           |        |          |        |      |       |District      |
|           |        |          |        |      |       |is worrisome. |
|-----------+--------+----------+--------+------+-------+--------------|
|MIDLANDS   |        |    1     |   5    | 139  |   139 |              |
|-----------+--------+----------+--------+------+-------+--------------|
|MASH.  WEST|05/02/06|    5     |   2    |  6   |     6 |              |
|-----------+--------+----------+--------+------+-------+--------------|
|HARARE     |        |    24    |   4    |  41  |    41 |              |
|-----------+--------+----------+--------+------+-------+--------------|
|MASH. EAST |        |    11    |   21   | 379  |   379 |              |
|-----------+--------+----------+--------+------+-------+--------------|
|MASVINGO   |        |    8     |   1    |  10  |    10 |              |
|-----------+--------+----------+--------+------+-------+--------------|
|CHITUNGWIZA|        |    2     |   0    |  2   |     2 |              |
|-----------+--------+----------+--------+------+-------+--------------|
|TOTAL      |        |    57    |   47   | 817  |   817 |              |
|-----------+--------+----------+--------+------+-------+--------------|


WFP reports that in Mashonaland Central Province, farmers have started
harvesting maize, while some rural households in Mt Darwin are also
harvesting and sun-drying maize for milling.  This has resulted in a
decrease in the price of maize from Z$350,000-Z$500,000 per 10kg, to
Z$300,000-Z$400,000 range for the same quantity in the previous weeks.
Contrary to price trends in Mashonaland Provinces, Masvingo Province is
still experiencing maize grain price hikes, with a 43% increase in
Chiredzi District over 3 weeks. The current UN exchange rate is
Z$109,125 to US$1.

Seed Production Outlook from FAO: The Zimbabwe Seed Traders Association
estimates that around 42000 MT of maize seed will be produced for the
2006/07 season. Preliminary information from Seed Services confirm
increased maize seed production and also confirm slightly lower than
required figures for sunflower, groundnuts, sugar beans and cowpeas.

IOM's migration health section reported cases of septic wounds
(Manyukira) in Nyamukwarara, Mutasa district of Manicaland. 15 village
health facilitators at Nyamukwarara were trained by Ministry of Health
on how to administer drug on the wounds.

Summary of Media Reports

A total of 26,000 people are on anti-retroviral therapy (ART) (20,000 on
the public programme and 6,000 accessing the drugs privately) out of
more than 300,000 people who desperately need treatment in the country.
- Herald, 30/03/06

Farmers' organizations can only produce 135,000 tonnes of wheat on
45,000 hectares of land this winter less than half the national target
of 350,000 tonnes on 110,000 hectares. Input shortages cited. - Herald
29/03/06, Financial Gazette 30/03/06. Wheat is currently in short supply
in the country.

"Farmers are seeking a maize producer price of at least Z$15m a tonne
from the Z$2m gazetted last year, citing high production costs." The
current producer price is not sustainable for planning for the 2006/7
season. "At least 2 million tonnes of grain are expected this year
against a national demand of about 3.6 million tonnes." - Herald
30/03/06

Assessments

OCHA jointly worked with the CPU to carry out a rapid damage and needs
assessment in Chipinge last week following the 23 February earthquake
and its aftershocks. A comprehensive report of the assessment is
expected to be issued on 31 March.

UN is working with partners to implement the national vulnerability
assessment. Implemented by the Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment
Committee (ZimVAC), a joint government, NGO, Donors and UN undertaking
effort, the assessment uses indicators of vulnerability mainly related
to food (in) security. Stakeholders are currently making commitments on
contributing to the assessment either technically, in kind or
financially.  The current budget for the assessment is US$282,332.83.

>From WFP: Data collection for the Community Household Survey (CHS), a
food aid monitoring tool measuring trends in food security and coping
strategies, was completed on 24 March 2006. 977 households, both WFP
beneficiaries and non-WFP beneficiaries, were interviewed. Data analysis
is underway and findings will be released end of April 2005.

Coordination, Advocacy and Response

In Harare City, staff from City Health Department, Ministry of Health
and Child Welfare, World Health Organization and NGOs (MSF and Red Cross
Society) are collaborating to control cholera. A cholera control clinic
has been set up at Crest Breeders. WHO sent supplies and equipment (1
tent, 5 cholera beds, 5 buckets, fly beds, 50 kg sodium hypochlorite,
1,000 aqua tabs, 1 cholera kit, 1 box bactergent soap and IEC materials
on cholera). Surveillance, contact tracing and community education are
ongoing.

The United Nations Theme Group on HIV/AIDS (UNTG) and the Office of the
UN Resident/Humanitarian Coordinator have released the 2nd United
Nations Implementation Support Plan (UN-ISP) on HIV and AIDS for
Zimbabwe in 2006. Informed by the draft Zimbabwe National HIV and AIDS
Strategic Plan 2006-2010 (ZNASP), the ISP guides the UN response to the
pandemic in Zimbabwe where an estimated 1.6 million people out of a 12
million population are living with HIV and AIDS with a prevalence rate
of 20.1% in 2005.

UNICEF continues to work with partners in Hopely Farm and Hatcliffe
Extension providing assistance to people that were affected by Operation
Murambatsvina.

At Hopely farm 10 boreholes are now functional and 180 pit latrines are
functional. In addition 1,300 Ecosan latrines are currently being
constructed in partnership with International People's AID (IPA).

UNICEF is doing social mobilization in through focus group discussions
with men, women, youth and children on sexual and gender based violence
(GBV) in the two areas. The aim is to minimize GBV within the
communities. Psycho-social support, peer education and counselling on
HIV and AIDS are also implemented.

Child protection committees have been formed to raise awareness on
children's rights, organize children's clubs, identify and develop
talent.

In Victoria Falls, UNICEF is working with the municipality to provide
sanitation for those affected by Operation Murambatsvina. Mosquito nets
have been distributed to those living in the open. There is a diarrhoeal
outbreak in the area and UNICEF is working with the Ministry of health
to contain it.

Government of Zimbabwe last week launched an Emergency Preparedness
Manual as part of the educational curricula to mitigate the effects
disaster emergencies on the education system and improve disaster risk
awareness and preparedness in the country. OCHA contributed to the
manual, which was produced by the Civil Protection Committee.

Field missions

IOM and a donor representative from the Netherlands Government carried
out a field visit last Wednesday. The team went to New Park where 180
families affected by Operation Murambatsvina are still living in
makeshift structures. Other places visited were Hatcliffe, Mbare,
Epworth and Porta Farm.

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