OCHA Situation Report
Eritrea
Report for August - September 2006
6 October 2006


Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

FAO Emergency Unit HIGHLIGHTS

During the month of August and September 2006, the FAO Emergency Unit 
carried out monitoring activities of seed multiplication project in 
Debub, Anseba, and Gash Barka. The Hectares under seed multiplication 
are 436 Ha of wheat in Debub, 25 Ha of Pearl Millet in Anseba and 370 of 
Sorghum in Gash Barka. The total number of farmers involved in seed 
multiplication activities is 400.

UNICEF HIGHLIGHTS

Water and Sanitation: Recent rains in the highlands are still to be 
monitored. The lack of water and long distances to available water 
points force many families to use insufficient and unsafe water fetched 
from un-protected sources often shared with animals. Sanitation coverage 
is an average of 3.6 % in rural areas, posing additional health risks to 
children who are affected by diarrhoea and dehydration.

Ensuring the Water and Sanitation (WES) cluster leadership UNICEF 
focuses on development of sanitation policy and a nation-wide rapid 
assessment on the status of water supply coverage and system 
functionality in the country (currently on-going). UNICEF supports the 
Government to conduct a rapid assessment which covers close to 2,600 
villages and aims at establishing reliable and quantifiable facts on 
drinking water supply coverage in rural areas in Eritrea. This will 
serve as the basis for appropriate planning and to assess and monitor 
water supply in rural areas. Results from the survey are expected in 
December. UNICEF continues its support to the Water Resource Department 
and Zoba administrations for water trucking to affected villages and to 
the construction of water systems and latrines. Jerry-cans, water 
bladders and purification tablets were distributed to re-settled IDPs.

Floods: As a response to the flooding affecting two Kebabis in Tesseney 
sub-zoba, UNICEF provided acwater tank, water purification tablets, 
blankets and shelter material (tarpaulin) to the local administration 
targeting the around 1,000 people affected. UNICEF also provided support 
for temporary water trucking and rehabilitation of water systems 
destroyed by the flood, to 9,400 people affected by the flooding in 
Northern Red Sea Region Wekiro, Wedi Ello and Damas villages. NFI and 
Child Protection Resettled IDPs: The multiple displacements have 
resulted in loss of means of livelihood, which seriously compromises the 
coping strategies and resilience of resettled IDP families to provide 
welfare support to their children. Assessment reports also show that 
there are a number of child headed households with very limited 
resources and life skills, survival and saving. UNICEF provided non-food 
items (NFIs) such as 2,285 blankets, 950 shelter material (tarpaulin) 
and 45 recreation kits to resettled IDPs in Gash Barka and Debub, 
targeting the most vulnerable including child and female headed 
household. Plans are now underway to provide income generating assets to 
280 most vulnerable child and female headed households.

LWF HIGHLIGHTS

New Appeal Launched: ACT members in Eritrea the Norwegian Church Aid 
(NCA), Dutch Inter Church Aid (DIA) and the Lutheran World Federation 
(LWF) have sent an appeal to ACT International vulnerable communities in 
both war and drought affected regions of the country. The main 
beneficiaries of this appeal are communities that are returned to their 
place of origin/resettled. Activities that are planned in this appeal 
include: water supply and storage which represent a main focus of 
activities, and food security through diversified agriculture, micro 
credit, construction and rehabilitation of clinics, supply of non-food 
items and the provision of basic medical equipment to Traditional Birth 
Attendants. The total funding requested to implement these activities is 
USD1.55 million made up of LWF 0.74 million, DIA 0.45 million and NCA 
0.36 million.

IRC HIGHLIGHTS

IRC Eritrea is finalizing the implementation of Debub water, sanitation 
and livelihood projects funded by ECHO and DFID. Eleven out of twelve 
projects are completed and handed over to the community members in the 
presence of zonal and sub-zonal government officials. The projects 
encompass construction of micro-dams with associated wells, piped water 
system, school roof water harvesting, animal trough and family latrines.

The Dutch funded Water, Sanitation/Hygiene and Livelihood Program in the 
same region has started. Equally the design of micro dam and water 
supply system has been prepared and Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) is 
signed between IRC and the community.

IRC has signed MoU with Water Resource Department (WRD) and MoH at the 
national level to start up EUR 1,238,971 worth Emergency Water supply, 
Sanitation/Hygiene and Primary Health Care program in Zoba Anseba funded 
by ECHO. The Water and Sanitation project incorporate construction of 
one subsurface dam, two micro-dams with associated wells, two check 
dams, three school water harvesting system, five cattle troughs and 
establishment and training of village water and sanitation committees. 
On the other hand the primary health care project incorporate 
establishment of out reach health service through mobile clinics, 
distribution of insect-side treated bed nets to pregnant and lactating 
mothers and establishment and training of CHW's, TBA's and health 
workers.

WHO HIGHLIGHTS

Eritrea Set to Carry out National Trachoma Survey

The Ministry of Health, with technical and financial assistance from 
FHF- Australia, CBM-Germany, NABP-Norway and the WHO is conducting a 
cross sectional survey on Trachoma in order to determine the prevalence 
of active Trachoma in children and blinding Trachoma in adults. The 
survey, which is the first of its kind in Eritrea, is being carried out 
according to the International Trachoma Initiative (ITI) and will 
identify the association between the prevalence and selected known risk 
factors of trachoma. Specifically, the survey is hoped to identify if 
the prevalence of trachoma can be related with the availability of 
water, environmental hygiene and facial cleanliness or not. Of note 
Trachoma is the second major cause of blindness in Eritrea after 
cataract.

UNMEE MACC HIGHLIGHTS

Integrated De-mining Capacity (IDC) Teams of the UNMEE MACC focused 
operations on minefields in the Egri Meakel area in the Sub zone of 
Tsorona in Sector Center, Badme area and Shambiko area in Sector West. 
In total the teams cleared an area of 942,292 sq.m. In August 2006 the 
Route Clearance Team (RCT) of the MACC deployed in Shiraro, Dechenema, 
Adi Tsetser, Adi Maiti, Myahanse and Adi Aser villages in Sector West 
and cleared 89 kms the team also deployed to Omhajer area in Sector West 
and cleared 245 kms of road in September 2006.

In August 2006 the MRE teams of the MACC carried out surveys in the sub 
zoba of Lalay Gash and in the sub zoba of Shambiko in Sector West and in 
the sub zoba of Tsorona in Sector Center. The Teams interviewed local 
administrators, community leaders and residents of these areas with the 
purpose of identifying new minefields and canceling and releasing 
existing minefields that no longer present mine/UXO threats. The MRE 
Teams also carried out mine awareness briefings to communities in 
Shehade, Enda-Timbako and Elala in the sub zoba of Shambiko in Sector 
West.

During the month of September 2006 the MRE teams of the MACC conducted 
surveys for canceling dangerous areas in Mai Gundi, Kerni Maichew, 
Walisho, Misra, May-Agam, Kurbeli and Egri-Mekel Villages in the sub 
zone of Tsorona area in Sector Center. The Teams interviewed members of 
the local populations, and collected data from administrators, community 
chiefs, and shepherds. During these deployments and meetings 347 local 
communities also received mine risk education briefings. Mine awareness 
briefings was carried out by the team to communities in Bala area, 
Debay-sima, Ghibdo, and Masia'ali villages in Sector East.

During August and September 2006 the MACC Explosive Ordnance Disposal 
(EOD) Team operating in Eritrea carried out unexploded ordnance (UXO) 
disposal operations in Sena'fe and Tsorona areas in Sector Center, Adi 
Quala area in sector East and in Shilalo area in Sector West.. The EOD 
Team conducted these operations in response to UXO discovery reports 
made by MACC regional offices, Mine Risk Education Teams and UN Military 
Observers deployed in the area. The EOD Team conducted over 300 m2 of 
Battle area clearance (BAC) and destroyed 194 UXO items included 82 and 
120 mm Mortars, fuses and AT rockets. The team in Ethiopia conducted 
operations in the Fatsi area in Sector Center and deployed to Eche Mare 
area and destroyed 40 UXO items including AT projectiles, Mortar shells 
and fuses discovered in the area. The two EOD Teams destroyed 36 
unexploded ordnance items between them.

In August 2006 the Force Mine Action Center of the MACC carried out mine 
awareness briefings to 357 members of the Jordanian contingent in 
Barentu, Omhajer, Mailabo and Shambiko in Sector West. Newly arrived 
civilian and military personnel of UNMEE also received MRE briefings. 
The Force in Asmara conducted Mine Risk Education briefings to 96 UNMEE 
military contingent members, 21 people from ICRC, UNICEF and UNMEE MACC 
staff located in Asmara during the month of September 2006.

Mine/UXO Accidents

In August 2006 the MACC received one UXO/mine incident report. The 
incident occurred in Tselim Kelay area 15 kms south east of Ghirme 
village in Sector West. A 22-year-old man was killed in the incident.

There was one report of UXO/mine incident report in September 2006. The 
incident occurred in Grat Mariam area in Sector West.

The MACC prepared the Preliminary Investigation Report (PIR) in to all 
above noted incidents and submitted report to MACC Operations at the HQ.

For further Information related to the Humanitarian Update, Please 
contact:

OCHA - Eritrea at 291-1-151666/151888, Fax- 291-1-151999, e-mail:
mohammedberhan@un.org

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