OCHA Situation Report
Ethiopia
25 June 2007


Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

FLOOD ALERT

Rainfall reports combined with elevated ground saturation and high water 
levels in the country's rivers and dams indicate that flood prone areas 
are at increased risk of flooding in the coming months.  Flooding has 
already been reported from South Omo and Bale zones. This is much 
earlier than last year, when flooding began in August. In preparation 
the DPPA-led Flood Taskforce of the Early Warning Working Group is 
currently working on contingency planning with assistance from relevant 
cluster leads. At grassroots levels, community initiatives have already 
been successful in preventing some of the worst impacts of last year. In 
Dire Dawa, a community forum between the Dire Dawa and East Hararghe 
zone administrations has established a modality to alert communities at 
risk of flash flooding when heavy rainfalls are received in the East 
Hararghe highlands. This community driven early warning mechanism was 
successful in preventing loss of life when the town experienced flash 
floods in May. For more information contact: ocha-eth@un.org

SERIOUS MALNUTRITION IN CHIFRA WOREDA, ZONE 1, AFAR REGION

Save the Children UK conducted a standard nutritional survey in Chifra 
woreda, zone 1, following reports of poor food security due to the 
failure of the sugum rains. The findings of the survey indicate that the 
malnutrition status in the woreda is serious with 11.1 percent Global 
Acute Malnutrition (GAM). Low prevalence of Severe Acute Malnutrition 
(SAM), however, was also estimated by the survey. After reviewing the 
anthropometric results and the presence of various aggravating factors, 
ENCU reported that the SAM could have been underestimated. Aggravating 
factors include - lack of pasture and water availability for human and 
livestock consumption, unusual livestock migration, absence of milk 
production for children, low EPI and Vitamin A supplementation and high 
school dropout rates. Considering all these factors, ENCU recommends the 
immediate establishment of a Therapeutic Feeding Programme in 
Stabilization Centers and an Outpatient Therapeutic Programme. In 
addition, the survey recommends timely safety net resource allocation 
and distribution. For more information contact: isaackm@dppc.gov.et

TSF PIPELINE SHORTAGE

The Targeted Supplementary Feeding (TSF) Programme in Support of the 
Enhanced Outreach Strategy (EOS) for Child Survival in Ethiopia is 
experiencing programme implementation challenges due to immediate 
pipeline shortages and revised screening schedules in some regions. 
Furthermore, dispatches that were planned to take place in May were 
postponed to June. Solutions to this problem are being identified on a 
case by case basis through regional coordination meetings with the 
EOS/TSF partners. Meanwhile, screening results released this week show a 
higher than expected number of malnourished children and pregnant and 
nursing women in some regions. The screening, however, took place during 
a time in which people traditionally face food shortages. The situation 
has further stretched WFP's pipeline and has negatively affected the 
overall yearly estimations for the TSF pipeline. While the yearly 
requirements are being revised and in order to address the immediate 
needs for supplementary food rations, solutions are currently being 
identified locally. Meanwhile, a total of 2,906 tonnes of CSB was 
borrowed from DPPA last week and WFP Headquarters has granted a cash 
advance for local procurement of 13,500 tonnes of famix. Contact: 
wfp.addisababa@wfp.org

AWD UPDATE

During the week, WHO reported a slight increase in the number of Acute 
Watery Diarrhoea (AWD) cases due to the onset of the rains. In addition, 
four woredas in Oromiya Region have been newly affected ? Sire and Jaju 
woredas of Arsi zone, Sinana woreda of Bale zone and Anchar woreda of 
West Hararghe zone. WHO has funded the relocation of health workers from 
SNNPR and other parts of Oromiya to help contain cases in the newly 
affected areas. Training on case management, surveillance and reporting 
for health workers is also ongoing. At the beginning of June, WHO and 
the Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH) organized a three-day training in 
Dire Dawa on emergency preparedness and response with 24 participants 
from six Regional Health Bureaus. These participants will now act as a 
rapid response team. For more information contact: 
who-wro@et.afro.who.int

GAMBELLA UPDATE

A community led initiative peace dialogue between the Lou and Jikany 
Nuer began in Akobo County, South Sudan last week. The dialogue is 
facilitated by PACT Sudan and UNOCHA PCI and is the first in a series of 
meetings that will discuss long term peace and stability.  Both 
communities are in need of food and non-food humanitarian assistance. 
Ongoing rains could also amplify cases of AWD and other water borne 
diseases. The Humanitarian Response Fund (HRF) Review Board has 
recommended two four-month project proposals by IOM and ZOA for 
approval.  The projects focus on humanitarian requirements, and include 
the distribution of NFI's and seed, support for shelter through plastic 
sheets and tool provision, and water and sanitation interventions. NFI 
distribution will use existing UNICEF and DPPA stocks, which will be 
replenished by HRF funds. The IOM project will be implemented in Lare, 
Jor, Wantua, and Jikaw woredas and target 21,000 people, while ZOA will 
work in Akobo and Itang woredas and serve 13,700 people. UN-OCHA has 
drafted an Action Points Matrix detailing agencies' responses to the 
Jikany Nuer relocation in Gambella region. This has been created as a 
counterpart to the existing matrix for Southern Sudan in an effort to 
harmonize response between agencies on both sides of the border. For 
more information contact: ocha-eth@un.org and info@unocha-pci.org

GOAL TO CONDUCT NUTRITIONAL SURVEY IN DARE LEBU WOREDA, WEST HARARGHE 
ZONE

GOAL with Oromiya DPPB and the Regional ENCU will conduct a rapid 
nutritional survey in Dara Lebo woreda, West Hararghe zone from 25 June. 
The assessment was requested by the Woreda Health Bureau due to 
concerning results of the EOS screening in Mid-May and deterioration in 
the food security situation. Preliminary results should be available by 
mid-July. For more information contact: rrpcoordinator@goalethiopia.com

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