Tajikistan - DHA: 21-27.Jul.97
Tajikistan - DHA: 21-27.Jul.97
DHAGVA 97/0318
TAJIKISTAN Humanitarian Situation Report
21-27 July 1997
HIGHLIGHTS
- Repatriation of Tajik refugees from camps in Khunduz camps in Northern
Afghanistan continued with 315 people crossing over the week in two
movements. SRSG Merrem and Deputy Prime Minister Asimov visited the
transit centre at Nianj Pianj on 26 July. UNHCR Head of Office visited
GBAO to discuss with local authorities preparations for use of Ishkashim
as a possible third crossing point for refugees originating from GBAO.
Termez (Uzbekistan) crossing point remained closed.
- IOM completed airlift operation from Khorog to Dushanbe, with total
number of internally displaced persons transported reaching over 1,800.
- Government officials and representatives from ECHO, UNICEF, DHA,
MERLIN and PSF met during the week to discuss regulations regarding
importation of pharmaceutical goods and medical supplies following some
problems experienced by agencies in importing humanitarian medical
supplies. Appropriate actions are now being taken by the Government to
ensure speedy delivery of supplies.
- Security and access issues for humanitarian organisations working in
the Karategin Valley and Tavilidara area remain a concern.
Representatives from GAA and ECHO discussed security issues with UTO
Field Commander in Garm on 26 July.
- Three NGOs have now signed agreements with the Tajikistan Social
Investment Fund (TASIF) to implement a 2-year programme funded by a loan
from the World Bank.
OVERALL SITUATION
While the overall military situation was calm over the period, a
security advisory was issued to the international community in light of
internal government issues which surfaced in the Kurghan Teppe area.
Agencies were warned to remain on alert and to take necessary security
precautions. The Dushanbe-Garm road is still off limits to UN staff in
view of the unknown whereabouts of Rizvon. ICRCs operations remain
suspended in Garm and Tavilidara following two serious security
incidents affecting ICRC in June and early July. An explosion from a
hand made bomb in the centre of Dushanbe reportedly injured some
civilians on 26 July.
While for the most part the return of IDPs from Khorog was a smooth
operation, some 60 IDP returnees have approached the OSCE mission in
Dushanbe requesting assistance for food, clothing and repair of housing
as well as legal or consultative assistance on questions dealing with
return of property or access to assistance available from the
Government. The Central Refugee Department within the Ministry of Labour
is taking measures to address these issues with assistance from IOM, the
ICRC and OSCE. With regard to the return of refugees, OSCEs field
offices in Dusti and Shartuz have been monitoring the return of
refugees. To date, three cases of house occupation have been reported in
Kumsangir and Kolkhozabad.
Food Aid and Logistics
The NGO ACTED, with funding from the EUatDGVIII, reports that it has
started a one year project to restart professional bread production in
Khatlon province and Leninsky rayon by setting up a flour delivery
network. With a total of 5,000 MTs of wheat to be imported from
Kazakhstan, the aim is to mill and sell the flour for a low market price
with some 15 days credit to a network of approx. 15 semi-industrial
bakeries, producing one to five MTs of flour per day. In the second
phase of the project, the funds collected will be reinvested in the
wheat network (mill, bakeries, wheat production).
Agriculture
FAO, in response to requests from the Ministry of Agriculture, is
currently developing project proposals in the following priority areas:
animal healthatlivestock vaccination, white fly control and emergency
agricultural inputs for refugees. In view of the livestock expected to
be brought back by the refugees from Northern Afghanistan, the Central
Veterinary Department of the Ministry of Agriculture has deployed five
animal health staff each to Nianj Pianj and Ishkashim to check status of
animal health and to vaccinate animals if necessary.
The 1996 wheat harvest is expected to be fairly good due to two main
factors: increased area planted and favourable climactic conditions. The
Ministry of Agriculture indicates that the crop will reach over 600,000
MTs. Nonetheless, Tajikistan will still require significant imports
(both food aid and commercial) in 1997-1998.
SCF (UK) will shortly complete a one year programme, funded by the Dutch
government, to assist female headed households in Vakhsh district,
Khatlon. Over 1,200 families have been provided with agricultural inputs
- livestock (cow, calf or goats), or seeds, pesticide, fertilizer and
tools. Assistance was provided on a payback system where part of the
assistance was later returned (after harvest, or when the animals had
young) in order to give to another vulnerable family. Women heads of
households met each month to discuss issues such as security problems,
education, health and access to land. SCF-UK will begin a new 2-year
programme over the next week, through the TASIF loan, to supply
agricultural inputs to 2,100 vulnerable families, many of then female
headed in Vakhsh district. In addition SCF-UK will provide support to 30
schools and day care centres.
Health
Survey commences in Bohktar district where a high incidence of malaria
is reported. Relief International (RI) and MERLIN report that they have
begun the initial stages of a study to determine how many patients,
attending four or five FAPs that RI supports in Bokhtar and clinically
suspected of malaria, actually have positive blood tests for the disease
and what proportion of malaria cases have the life-threatening
falciparum form of the disease. In conjunction with local health
authorities, training seminars on all aspects of malaria management for
representatives of all health facilities in Bohktar district have
started. Over a one month period, FAP staff will take thick and thin
films on all patients who fit a standardized case definition of malaria.
The blood slides will be taken to Bokhtar SES laboratory where they will
be examined for the presence of malaria parasites.
ACTED is starting a 4-month malaria prevention pilot project in Bokhtar
and Vaksh districts. With net cloth imported from India, around 5,000
familial mosquito nets (nets for five people) will be produced through a
food-for-work scheme (WFP will provide the wheat flour) in workshops
located in Khatlon and Dushanbe. Community centres will be trained by
ACTED, SES (Epidemiological station in Khatlon) and UNDP on how to
deliver health messages and will distribute familial mosquito nets to
all families in selected villages and provide health education to all
beneficiaries, involving the local community.
Refugee-Related Issues
Refugees: Since repatriation resumed on 17 July, a total of 715 refugees
have been repatriated from Northern Afghanistan:
Date Number repatriated (breakdown by location)
17 July 259 (Kumsangir - 197, Dushanbe - 38, Garm - 24)
19 July 141 (Kolkhozabad - 125, Kumsangir - 14, Dushanbe -2)
22 July 154 (Kolkhozabad - 54, Kumsangir - 4, Kabodian - 19,
Pianj - 44, Jilikul - 33)
26 July 161 (Kolkhozabad - 1, Kumsangir - 7, Kurgan Teppe -
1, Pianj - 148, Jilikul - 4)
Internally Displaced Persons (IDPS)
Below is a breakdown of the final destinations of the IDPs returned from
Khorog through the IOM airlift operation. As can be seen, the vast
majority have settled in Dushanbe with a much lower percentage returning
to locations in the south.
Destination Number of IDPs
Dushanbe 1,248
Gissar 22
Kafarnigon 31
Leninsky 77
Norak 26
Obi-Garm 3
Rogun 10
Tursunzade 11
Faizabad 5
Varsob 3
Khatlon 7
Bohktar 7
Yavan 57
Jilikul 34
Ilichovsky 2
Kabodian 8
Kalininabad 9
Kolkhozabad 17
Kuibisev 56
Kuliab 1
Kumsangir 61
Kurghan Teppe 142
Pianj 13
Shartuz 32
Vahsh 14
TOTAL 1,896
This report is available on the internet through RELIEFWEB:
http://www.reliefweb.int
United Nations Office - Dunshanbe
Mr. Peter Simkin at Ms. Sarah Longford
Tel.: (0073772) 21 06 79 - Fax: (0073772) 51 00 84
E-Mail: dha at taj.freenet.kiev.ua:
Inter-Agency Support Branch (IASB) - Geneva
Mr. David Bassiouni - Chief
Mr. Arjun Katoch
Tel.: (41 22) 788.1401 - Fax: (41 22) 788.6386
Registry E-Mail: Rosemary.Addo-Yirenkyi@dha.unicc.org
Complex Emergency Division (CED) - New York
Mr David Chikvaidze
Tel.: (1 212) 963.9665 - Fax: (1 212) 963.1388
E-Mail: chikvaidze@un.org
Press to contact (DHA-Geneva)
Ms. Madeleine Moulin-Acevedo
Tel.: (41 22) 917.2856 - Fax: (41 22) 917.0023
Telex: 414242 DHA CH - E-Mail: Moulin-Acevedo@dha.unicc.org
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