OCHA Situation Report No. 32
Lebanon
25 August 2006


Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

SITUATION OVERVIEW

1. The Government of Lebanon (GoL) Higher Relief Council (HRC) reports 
that 1,184 people have been killed and 4,059 injured. Most of the recent 
casualties have been caused by UXOs, which has become a real safety 
threat to civilians returning to their places of origin.

Returns Update

2. UNHCR announced today that some 550,000 displaced have returned to 
their pre-conflict residences. However, as a result of damage to 
property and UXOs, as many as a third have not yet returned. Proximity 
to the Israeli border (Blue Line) may also be a reason for slower 
returns.

3. UNHCR report that an estimated 872 families

(5,000 people) remain displaced in Chouf and 217 (1,300 individuals) in 
Baabda. UNHCR teams continue to visit IDP families to verify their 
situation and provide additional assistance. The majority say they do 
not intend to return home as their houses are completely destroyed, and 
they believe the political situation remains too volatile.

4. UNHCR report that over 158,000 Lebanese have returned to Lebanon from 
Syria.

5. UNHCR report 3,841 Lebanese returns through the four major crossings 
between Syria and Lebanon today. At the Yabous crossing, a UNHCR team 
reported that less than 10% of returnees interviewed yesterday had 
stayed with host families or in collective centers. The majority stated 
that they had rented a house or apartment in Syria or were coming from 
third countries.

|-------------+-------|
| Populations |       |
| Movements   |       |
| Syria -     |       |
| Lebanon     |       |
| 24 August)  |       |
|-------------+-------|
| Jussieh     |   194 |
|-------------+-------|
| Dabbousieh  |   245 |
|-------------+-------|
| Al Aarida   |   657 |
|-------------+-------|
| Yabous      | 2,745 |
|-------------+-------|
| Total       | 3,841 |
| Returns     |       |
|-------------+-------|


6. UNHCR will maintain its 24-hour border presence at the border until 
tomorrow. It is expected that over the weekend refugee traffic will 
diminish, and over the next few days, UNHCR teams will visit the four 
border points only at peak hours and scale down their surveys. UNHCR 
buses in Damascus will continue to be on standby to transport needy 
refugees.

UXOs and Mine Clearance

7. Landmine explosions killed an Israeli soldier and three Lebanese 
soldiers in separate incidents in southern Lebanon today. According to 
the Lebanese army, its soldiers were killed while dismantling a UXO. In 
a prior incident, two mines exploded killing one Israeli soldier and 
wounding three others, according to the IDF.

8. Two hundred and forty-nine (249) individual cluster bomb strike 
locations have now been confirmed and recorded. United Nations Mine 
Action Coordination Center (UNMACC) surveys indicate that no cluster 
bomb strike locations are located above a line running through Sejoud, 
approximately 5km north of the Litani River. An updated map showing 
routes that have been checked by UNMACC teams and assessed as not 
blocked by UXO and/or cluster bombs is available on www.virtualhic.org 
and also on www.maccsl.org. Unexploded bombs, ranging from 500lb to 
2000lb continue to be found in people's houses and gardens.

9. UNMACC is conducting daily mine awareness workshops at WFP offices 
for UN agencies and NGO staff. Thirteen new teams (approximately 110 
people) are expected to arrive in Lebanon by the end of the week to 
survey and clear UXOs.

Needs Assessments

10. UNICEF conducted a mission to 12 villages and communities around 
Tyre and Saida from 16 to 21 August. UNICEF found rapidly improving 
living conditions. However, findings show that:

Out of the 12 villages, ten had no water supply;

In five villages, health facilities had been destroyed;

In four, the schools had been destroyed; and

Five of the 12 villages and communities visited had as much as 80% 
destruction, with two of them totally destroyed.

11. An interagency assessment undertaken on 23 August, to Siddiqine, 
Yatar and Beit Lif, reconfirmed previous assessments: water and power 
supply infrastructure has been destroyed.

12. Beit Lif residents said their most pressing need is for an 
electrical generator to pump water from the local wheal. OCHA has been 
approached by a number of NGOs regarding the availability of generators 
for this purpose.

13. Siddiqine, Yatar and Beit Lif residents remain concerned about the 
presence of UXOs in surrounding fields and in and around homes, about 
the health risks from dead live stock in the area, and about shortages 
of medicine and disposables at health facilities

14. Syria: UNICEF engineers have, to date, visited 18 out of 30 schools 
that hosted Lebanese refugees and were identified by the Syrian Ministry 
of Education (MoE) as needing rehabilitation. UNICEF is currently 
drawing up a quick rehabilitation budget.

Humanitarian Hub Update: TYRE

15. Two WFP convoys traveled to Jibchit and Charqiye distributing 144mt 
of food supplies. Three additional convoys were sent today to distribute 
up to 200mt of food in Qana, Marakah and Rumaysh.

16. Over 500mt of WFP supplies were scheduled to arrive today in Tyre on 
the ship, Anamcar. 17. UNHCR is distributing tents, plastic sheeting and 
NFIs today in Siddiqine and the surrounding areas.

18. WHO provided medicines and disposables to Marjayoun, Bint Jubyal and 
Nabatieh hospitals today.

Humanitarian Hub Update: SAIDA

19. Small numbers of IDPs who had already left camps and reception 
centers are returning to the Saida area and occupying schools and other 
public facilities.

20.  A large group of approximately 150 IDPs returned to Saida today 
after an unsuccessful attempt to return to the village of Mar Rwaheen. 
Some of the IDPs who were interviewed claimed they had been shot at by 
the IDF. Other newly arriving IDP say they are discouraged from 
returning home permanently because of significant UXO contamination in 
around their communities, which include the villages of Aitaroun, Maroun 
ar-Ras, Bint Jbeil, Aita as-Shab, Ainata, Yaroun.

21. Some 500 IDPs now occupy reception centers around Saida, a 
significant increase from the 200-plus who were there only a few days 
ago. Many more IDPs are hosted with families in the area. Local NGOs are 
in the process of completing IDP registration in the area with the 
results expected on 25 August.

HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE

Logistics

|--------------------+----+--------------------------|
| Land Movement      |    |                          |
| (Convoys)          |    |                          |
|--------------------+----+--------------------------|
| Movement           |  # | Comments/Cargo           |
|--------------------+----+--------------------------|
| Beirut-Qana        |  5 | WFP - Wheat flour,       |
| (via Tyre)         |    | canned meat/vegetables,  |
|                    |    | HEB                      |
|--------------------+----+--------------------------|
| Beirut-Haret Hreik |  3 | WFP - Vegetable oil, HEB |
|--------------------+----+--------------------------|
| Beirut-Maarake     | 10 | WFP - Wheat flour,       |
| (via Tyre)         |    | canned meat/vegetables,  |
|                    |    | HEB                      |
|--------------------+----+--------------------------|
| Beirut-Rmaish      | 11 | UNICEF (6) - water       |
| (via Tyre)         |    | supplies                 |
|                    |    | WFP (5) - Wheat flour,   |
|                    |    | canned                   |
|                    |    | meat/vegetables, HEB     |
|--------------------+----+--------------------------|


|----------------+-----------+-----------------------|
| Sea Movement   |           |                       |
|----------------+-----------+-----------------------|
| Movement       | Vessel    | Comments/Cargo        |
|----------------+-----------+-----------------------|
| Beirut-Tripoli | Aphrodite | Portuguese - UNHCR    |
|                |           | material              |
|----------------+-----------+-----------------------|
| Beirut-Zahrani | Psara     | 50,000 mt fuel to     |
|                |           | arrive today          |
|----------------+-----------+-----------------------|
| Beirut-Tyre    | Anamcara  | WFP - relief supplies |
|----------------+-----------+-----------------------|


22. The WFP-contracted Roll-on, Roll-off (RoRo) ferry, the Anamcara, 
will proceed to Limassol from Tyre (where it is currently off-loading 
relief supplies) then Mersin to pick up cargo before returning to Beirut 
on 28 August. The Anamcara will be kept on rotation between Cyprus and 
Beirut until 4 September.

Water and Sanitation

23. UNICEF delivered water tanks and bottled water to Khiyam village, 
one of the most affected villages in Nabatiyeh district.

24. UNICEF is procuring a powerful 1,250kva generator for the Lebanese 
South Water Authority. The purchase is part of its efforts to support 
Water Authorities as they restore the government's centralized water 
distribution capabilities.

Health and Nutritrion

25. UNFPA has procured baby kits to meet the needs identified by an 
interagency assessment mission to Nabatiyeh. In addition, it has 
provided some 3,000 hygiene kits to NGOs for distribution in the South, 
the southern suburbs of Beirut and remaining IDP centers.

Food and Non-Food Items (NFls)

26. UNHCR started the distribution of NFIs, including blankets, tents, 
kitchen sets in villages in Nabatiyeh District. Homeless and needy 
families in some 41 villages will be receiving NFIs from UNHCR in the 
coming weeks.

27. UNHCR distributed yesterday 850 blankets, 750 mattresses, 225 tents, 
180 kitchen sets, and 410 plastic sheets in the villages of Zebdin, 
Harouf, Jabsheet, Alduweir, Sharqya, and Ansar in Nabatiyeh.

28. UNHCR distributed NFI, including 1,555 blankets, 1,355 mattresses, 
226 tents, 256 kitchen sets, and 1,030 plastic sheets to Nabatya Tahta, 
Meifadoun, Shoukeen, Absheet, Farfeer, Alqasabeya, and Zerarya.

Early Recovery

29. The GoL has announced that French military engineers have started 
building temporary bridges on highways south of the capital, while 
government crews have started filling in craters on bombed out roads.

FUNDING

Flash Appeal Update

30. The Flash Appeal for Lebanon is now 57% funded with contributions 
receiving totaling just over US $94.1 million. An additional US $6.7 
million in pledges have also been placed against the Appeal.

31. 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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