OCHA Situation Report No. 31
Lebanon
24 August 2006


Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

SITUATION OVERVIEW

1. The Government of Lebanon's (GoL) Higher Relief Council (HRC) reports
one fatality over the course the last 24 hours, taking the total number
killed since 14 July to 1,184. The number of those injured rose by four
to 4,059.

Returns Update

2. UNHCR reports that a total of 151,351 Lebanese refugees had returned
to Lebanon from Syria since 14 August 2006.

|-------------+-------|
| Populations |       |
| Movements   |       |
| Syria -     |       |
| Lebanon     |       |
|-------------+-------|
| Jussieh     |   225 |
|-------------+-------|
| Dabbousieh  |   446 |
|-------------+-------|
| Al Aarida   |   873 |
|-------------+-------|
| Yabous      | 3,404 |
|-------------+-------|
| Total       | 4,948 |
| Returns     |       |
|-------------+-------|


3. Syria: The Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) has withdrawn their
volunteers from the Jussieh and Dabbousieh border crossings. UNHCR will
continue its presence at all four border points for the time being.

4. Syria: UNHCR buses remain on standby to transport displaced Lebanese
home, although the number of passengers is declining. Yesterday four
buses departed from Damascus to Beirut with 67 returning refugees.

5. Syria: UNHCR will undertake an assessment and registration of the
remaining displaced population in Damascus in the coming days. UNHCR is
identifying IDPs with disabilities and referring them to NGOs with
expertise in assisting their needs.

6. UNHCR has launched a returnee monitoring project in parts of the
South. The project is expected to expand over the next week to cover the
whole region.

UXO and Mine Clearance

7. Six battalions of Lebanese army engineers are demining in the
Nabatiye area. Residential areas of western and eastern Zawtar have now
been cleared. Further demining is still needed in the fields and
farmland around those areas. It is understood that organizations
involved in de-mining activities in southern areas are making good
progress.

Humanitarian Hub Update: TYRE

8. The Tyre Hub reports that the need for water is becoming an
increasing concern throughout the area.

9. A multi-cluster assessment mission will travel today to Siddiqine
(Tyre Kada), Q=E2na (Tyre Kada), Yatar and Beit Lif (Bent Jbail Kada).

10. WFP is undertaking a distribution of food aid to Deir Mimass
(Marjayoun Kada).

11. IMC is distributing medicines and disposals to H=E2sbaiya (H=E2sbaiya
Kada - in the vicinity of Nabatiye), Marjayoun and Bent Jbail hospitals.

12. MSF-Belgium is providing medication for chronic diseases and other
essential drugs as well as surgical equipment to Bent Jbail and Tebnine.

13. On-going medical assessments are being carried out by Merlin in Aita
Ech Chaab, Tyre and Naqoura and by IMC, SCF and MOM in Siddiqine and
Srifa.

Humanitarian Hub Update: SAIDA

14. An assessment conducted by local authorities in Nabatiye Kada has
revealed widespread damage across the region. In the villages of Yohmor
and Western Zawtar, the assessment shows that 50% of all structures were
destroyed. In Kfar Seer, Jba'a, Ein Bouswar, Ansar, Kfar Tibneet and
Adsheet, 15% destruction was recorded. In Kfar Rumman, Upper Nabatiyyi,
Zefta, Alnumairi, Alduwair, Harouf, Alkosaibi, Ka'akaeyyat Aljisr,
Maifadoun, Eastern Zawtar and Sarba, 10% of structures were destroyed.

15. Of the 39 villages in Bint Jbeil Kada, 50-90% of government and
public buildings have been destroyed, making the Kada the most affected
in the region. A similar amount of destruction to that found in Bint
Jbeil has been identified in the 35 villages in Marjeyoun Kada.

16. The report of the assessment provided by the local authorities
outlines immediate needs that include the:

- Removal of dead animals and the spraying of contaminated areas;

- Provision of water tanks and water tankering; and of private and
central electrical generators for villages without power;

- Quick rehabilitation of damaged schools and the distribution of school
books, copybooks and other educational essentials before the beginning
of the academic year;

- Deployment of de-mining teams to remove UXOs, particularly from
farmland to enable safe harvesting;

- Provision of agricultural equipment and seeds;

- Provision of medicine/vaccines for chronic and contagious diseases;

- Establishment of specialized psychiatric clinics for children affected
by the war;

- Food assistance, including fruits and vegetables, fresh or dried; and

- Kitchen sets and outdoor or public bathrooms for those whose homes
were destroyed.

HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE

Please note: In an effort to standardize the names of villages, towns,
districts and regions in Lebanon, it would be useful if those reporting
on their humanitarian activities could utilize the spelling as provided
on the Field Atlas 'Gazetteer'. This document lists all communities
against their district and region. In order to find the 'Gazetteer',
please go to www.virtualhic.org, click on 'Map Center' and scroll to the
bottom of the page to the 'Field Atlas'. The 'Gazetteer' can be found
here.

Logistics

17. ICRC has shipped and airlifted over 3,125mt of relief supplies since
12 July. Another 11,000mt of supplies will be delivered by
mid-September.

|--------------------+----+--------------------------|
| Land Movement      |    |                          |
| (Convoys)          |    |                          |
|--------------------+----+--------------------------|
| Movement           |  # | Comments/Cargo           |
|--------------------+----+--------------------------|
| Beirut-Tyre        |  1 | UNICEF - water tanker    |
|--------------------+----+--------------------------|
| Beirut-Marjayoun   | 10 | UNICEF/Premier Urgence - |
|                    |    | Relief items             |
|--------------------+----+--------------------------|
| Beirut-Deir Mimass | 13 | WFP Food                 |
|--------------------+----+--------------------------|
| Beirut (suburbs)   |  3 | WFP - Food               |
|                    |    |                          |
|--------------------+----+--------------------------|
| Beirut-Damascus    | 10 | UNHCR - Relief items     |
|--------------------+----+--------------------------|


|--------------+----------+-------------------------|
| Air Movement |          |                         |
|--------------+----------+-------------------------|
| Movement     | Aircraft | Comments/Cargo          |
|--------------+----------+-------------------------|
| Amman-Beirut | N/A      | Portuguese - UNHCR      |
|              |          | material                |
|--------------+----------+-------------------------|
| Amman-Beirut | N/A      | German - UNHCR material |
|--------------+----------+-------------------------|


Water and Sanitation (WatSan)

18. The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) distributed 45,000lts of
drinking water to villages of El Khiam, Kafer Kela and Ebel Es Saqi
(east of Nabatiye).

Health and Nutrition

19. The Ministry of Health (MoH) confirms there is no indication of
communicable diseases in southern Lebanon.

20. WHO will open an office in Marjayoun tomorrow.

21. ICRC has provided hospitals in EI Bass, Balzan Camp, Jabal Amel,
Hiram and Nabatiye with some 20,000lts of fuel.

22. ICRC has provided dressings, surgical supplies, and medicine for
chronic diseases to Job Jannine, Tell Shiha and Bent Jbeil. Three
hundred doses of tetanus vaccine and 100 doses of anti-tetanus
immunoglobulins were also delivered to the MoH for Nabatiye Hospital.

23. ICRC is arranging for the purchase of medicines for the treatment of
chronic diseases locally as these are not in the ICRC emergency kits. A
one-month supply will be procured for 200,000 patients. ICRC is also
supplying equipment and consumables for blood banks.

24. The Lebanese Red Cross evacuated over 980 wounded people during the
conflict and transported over 7,680 medical patients. It also collected
398 bodies.

25. ICRC has delivered 62,000lts of fuel needed to run vital civilian
infrastructure, such as hospitals, Lebanese Red Cross health centers and
water pumps in isolated villages around Tyre, Marjayoun and Rashaya in
southern Lebanon.

Early Recovery

26. An expert has been deployed through the Regional Marine Pollution
Emergency Center (REMPEC) to assist the Lebanese Ministry of Environment
(MoEnv) to coordinate clean-up operations of the oil spill and to assist
in the coordination of incoming assistance.

27. A comprehensive aerial assessment of the oil spill will be
undertaken in the next days. The European Commission's Monitoring of
Information Center (ECMIC) has requested member states to provide a
specialized plane and equipment for the aerial assessment.

28. A Swiss expert deployed through the Joint UNEP/OCHA Environment Unit
has just completed a rapid assessment of acute waste management issues
in Lebanon and proposed to national authorities a debris and waste
recycling program. The results of the assessment will be shared widely
with partners.

FUNDING

Flash Appeal Update

29. The Flash Appeal for Lebanon is now 57% funded with contributions
receiving totaling just over US $94.1 million. An additional US $7.04
million in pledges have also been placed against the Appeal.

30. Full details can be found on the FTS on
http://www.reliefweb.int/fts.

Contact Details:

Desk Officers:
  New York Mr. Carlos Monteiro-Pereira Tel: +1-212-963-4639
  Mr. Ben Negus Tel: +1-917-367-4374
  Ms. Christian Clark Tel: +1-917-367-6005

Press contact:
  NYC - Ms. Kristin Knutson Tel: +1-917-367-9262


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