OCHA Situation Report No. 6
Lebanon
28 July 2006


Concerns grow for civilians in south Lebanon, potential environmental 
crisis in the making

1. Concern is growing over the fate of civilians in the far south of 
Lebanon, where military operations have been taking place for almost two 
weeks. A recent ICRC mission found many southern villages lacking basic 
facilities, including safe drinking water, food and medical supplies. 
The mission noted safety remains the main concern. It also noted serious 
public health risks resulting from people being forced to drink waste 
water or from contaminated ponds.

In several villages, ICRC found people sheltered in schools and patients 
stranded in hospitals, waiting to be evacuated. In other villages 
streets were empty, as people feared bombardment. The mission noted dead 
bodies had not been removed from the streets in many villages and other 
bodies were still buried under rubble.

2. The Ministry of Environment in Lebanon reports a major oil spill from a 
power plant near Beirut as a result of aerial bombing. A joint UNEP/OCHA 
Environment Unit is on stand-by to assess environmental pollution risks of 
damaged infrastructure (i.e. power plants, seaports, airports, fuel depots) 
which could pose risks to local populations. Approximately, 10,000 tons of 
heavy fuel oil has been spilled into the sea so far, according to one 
environmental group. The Lebanese government has issued a warning for all 
citizens to stay away from polluted sights along the coast.

SITUATION OVERVIEW

3. Figures from the Government's Higher Relief Committee place the estimated 
death toll at 418 and 3,225 injured the great majority civilians. It is widely 
agreed, however, the total number of casualties may be much higher than these 
figures. The conflict continues to affect an estimated 800,000 people, 
including internally displaced, individuals under siege, refugees, and asylum 
seekers. Although the majority of displaced are staying with relatives and 
friends, an estimated 125,000 are staying in schools and public institutions in 
Lebanon, and, according to WHO, 210,000 have crossed the border into 
neighboring countries. Press reports indicate that 51 Israelis have died in 
nearly two weeks of conflict in Lebanon. Some 115,000 Third Country Nationals 
(TCNs) from some 20 countries continue to remain trapped in Lebanon.

Security

4. Security Phase IV remains across the country. Heavy exchanges of fire 
continued with the same intensity along the length of the Blue Line in the past 
24 hours. There were three incidents of firing close to UN positions in the 
last 24 hours from the Israeli side. It was also reported that Hezbollah fired 
from the vicinity of four UN positions at Marwahin, Alma Ash Shab, Brashit, and 
At Tiri.

5. The IDF has maintained their presence inside Lebanese territory in the area 
of Marun Al Ras, Bint Jubayl and Yarun in the central sector. Intensive 
fighting in these areas, as well as the shelling of the area of Aytarun, and 
the aerial bombardment of the areas of At Tiri and Brashit north of Bint Jubayl 
was reported yesterday. This morning, sporadic fighting was reported in Bint 
Jubayl and Marun Al Ras, and intensive shelling of the area of At Tiri. Dozens 
of Hezbollah rockets landed in northern Israel, wounding at least one person, 
Israeli emergency services said.

Humanitarian Situation and International Response

6. Following the success of the first UN relief convoy from Beirut to Tyre, 
carrying WFP, UNICEF, WHO and UNRWA emergency supplies, another two UN aid 
convoys are scheduled to depart Beirut to the South, with 10 trucks each. The 
first will leave tomorrow, Friday, and second one is schedule for Sunday, 30 
July, security conditions permit.

7. A Jordanian military plane carrying aid reportedly arrived in Beirut 
Thursday, extending a humanitarian airlift operation, which started on 
Wednesday, with three Jordanian flights carrying relief supplies for Lebanon. 
They were the first planes to land at Beirut since the conflict broke out on 
July 12.

8. WFP is now planning to distribute up to 12,000 metric tons of food and 
non-food relief items per month and is making available a common UN trucking 
fleet to UN agencies, non-governmental organizations and international 
organizations. WFP has begun distributing 25 metric tons of high-energy 
biscuits to 95,000 displaced people in and around Beirut.

9. UNHCR field teams in mountain areas outside Beirut are buying and 
distributing relief to displaced people while waiting for tonnes of relief 
goods to be delivered from Syria. UNHCR staff have also been determining the 
priority needs of the displaced in other locations in Lebanon. UNHCR's 
emergency team in Lebanon is being strengthened with the expected arrival in 
Beirut on Thursday of five further staff members.

10. A UNICEF distribution of drinking water and installation of water tanks 
continued in Aley today. To date, recreational materials have been distributed 
to nine IDP gathering points sheltering some 1,500 children. UNICEF, in close 
cooperation with Ministry of Social Affairs (MoSA), is assessing the capacity 
of local NGOs to operate in an emergency situation. An UNICEF aircraft carrying 
water purification tablets, family water kits and medical supplies for WHO will 
arrive in Beirut tomorrow.

11. IOM, on 25 July, assisted more than 150 Iraqis who had arrived at the Al 
Arida border point with Syria to the transit centre in Tartous. On 26 July two 
convoys of 311 Ethiopian nationals and 285 Sri Lankan nationals arrived in 
Syria from Beirut. They are initially staying at the CARITAS sponsored transit 
centre in where they will receive food and shelter flown home in the next day 
or two. Today, an IOM charter plane from Latakia will transport a group of 
nearly 300 Sri Lankan nationals to Colombo. On Friday, IOM is planning to send 
empty buses towards Tyre in order to identify Third Country Nationals (TCNs) 
needs/potential caseloads and, where possible, evacuate them to Beirut.

12. UNDP, in coordination with the Lebanese government, has now established two 
warehouses in the areas of Chouf and Aley. The warehouses will store UNDP 
non-food items, as well as food items from the high relief committee. UNDP 
distributions to IDP Centers have benefited nearly 68,000 people (13,548 
Families) thus far.

13. As conflict and displacement are risk factors to increased violence against 
women and girls, the IRC will soon be deploying a Gender-Based Violence (GBV) 
Coordinator to Beirut and UNFPA and UNICEF have included prevention of 
gender-based violence and exploitation in their emergency response progammes.

14. WHO is emphasizing the importance of appropriate donations, in order to 
decrease the burden on the already overloaded ports of entry, warehouses and 
transportation means in Lebanon and Syria. The organization is also 
coordinating the transport of relief items with the WHO Crisis Management 
Center in Jordan. A WHO Emergency Task Force has now been set up, which will 
also back up the WHO Lebanon office.

15. The ICRC has now set up two bases to provide medical assistance to 200 
villages in South Lebanon. Two ICRC trucks reached Tyre yesterday with enough 
food supplies for 480 families for one week. The food will be distributed in 
priority areas in the south over the coming days. The committee, however, was 
unable to travel in the area south of Tyre yesterday because of ongoing 
military operations. An ICRC team is on stand-by to distribute aid there as 
soon as the situation allows. Thirty-four tonnes of emergency items from the 
ICRC have arrived in Beirut by ferry. This is the third convoy in the past 
week, following recent truck convoys from Amman, Jordan.

16. UNFPA is currently procuring supplies for hygiene kits for IDPs in Lebanon, 
which will most likely be distributed in collaboration with Lebanon Red Cross. 
UNFPA emergency reproductive health kits requested last week by the Ministry of 
Public Health will be delivered by air to Limassol airport on Friday and from 
there loaded on a vessel to be shipped to Beirut. WFP is assisting with 
logistics.

17. The American NGO International Aid today said it is preparing to send 
medical supplies and hygiene kits to Lebanon and Syria, following weeks of 
fighting that has led to a humanitarian crisis in the region. An initial 
shipment of 5,000 hygiene kits, along with other basic medical supplies, is 
expected in a matter of days.

18. The Lebanese Ministry of Public Health on 25 July issued an appeal to the 
UN, donors, NGOs, the private sector and the public at large requesting 
donations of desperately needed drugs and medical equipment to aid wounded and 
displaced Lebanese civilians. Supplies requested include intravenous 
antibiotics, insulin, gauzes and bandages, empty blood bags, antibiotics for 
pediatrics, antipyretics for children and anesthetics. A list of medical 
supplies requested from the Lebanese Ministry of Health is available at 
http://www.emro.who.int/eha/lebanon_supplies.htm

Constraints:

- Shortages of food and non-food items for displaced population.

- Little or no access to targeted areas due to damaged roads and insecurity.

- Destruction of communications infrastructure, including mobile cellular 
antennas, has disrupted communication links throughout the country.

- Destruction of factories has stopped production of many local food and 
non-food items.

- According to the government, estimated unemployment rates have reached 75% 
and total losses are now estimated at $4 billion USD.

This situation report, together with additional information on the current 
crisis is also available on http://www.reliefweb.int. As your tool for timely 
information sharing, please encourage submissions of documents and maps by 
email to submit@reliefweb.int.

Contact Details

|---------------------+-----------------+-----------------|
|Desk Officers: (New  |Mr. Carlos       |Tel:             |
|York)                |Monteiro-Pereira |+1-212-963-4639  |
|---------------------+-----------------+-----------------|
|                     |Mr. Ben Negus    |Tel:             |
|                     |                 |+1-917-367-4374  |
|---------------------+-----------------+-----------------|
|                     |Ms. Heidi Kuttab |Tel:             |
|                     |                 |+1-917-367-33 65 |
|---------------------+-----------------+-----------------|
|Press contact: (NY)  |Ms. Stephanie    |Tel:             |
|                     |Bunker           |+1-917-367-5126  |
|---------------------+-----------------+-----------------|

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