Ethiopia - Situation Report, 1 Dec 2023

Ethiopia: Humanitarian impact of drought Flash Update #1

HIGHLIGHTS

• The drought situation is worsening in some parts of northern, southern, and southeastern Ethiopia and will deteriorate further unless aid is scaled up.

• Regional authorities in Amhara and Tigray have raised alarm and alerted aid agencies of the deteriorating humanitarian situation due to drought and food insecurity.

• Humanitarian partners are responding and are targeting nearly 5,629,730 individuals in 3,374 villages in 892 Kebeles. However, with the 2023 Ethiopia Humanitarian Response only 33.5 per cent funded, urgent resources are required to scale up response.

• While the Government has continued to provide food assistance, the resumption of the USAID-funded food distribution in mid-December after several months of a pause is helping to meet some of the urgent needs.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Food aid pause ends, as food distribution will resume across Ethiopia in December.

• 1.5 million people are affected, with over 632,700 displaced by floods and mudslides in Ethiopia.

• Millions affected by drought-like conditions in Amhara and Tigray - need urgent lifesaving assistance.

• 7.1 million people assisted with cholera vaccination, but efforts to address the root causes remain a gap.

• 2 million people in Oromia have received government food and cash assistance between July and October, but critical needs persist in West Guji and North Shewa.

Situation Overview

Beginning in December, distribution of food aid by the main non-governmental food partners will resume after thepause since April 2023, following reports of significant diversion of food aid across the country. The announcement follows enhanced measures and controls jointly put in place in collaboration with the Ethiopian Government, to strengthen the system and ensure food aid reaches the most in need.

Floods Between October and November, flooding and mudslides from heavy rainfall and river overflows have affected an estimated 1.5 million people, mainly in the Somali, Oromia, Afar, South Ethiopia, and Gambela regions. An estimated 632,700 people have been displaced, and 57 deaths have been reported as of 27 November. The Somali region alone accounts for over one million flood-affected people. The overall response capacity is low due to a lack of supplies and funding for the response by the government and humanitarian partners across logistics, food, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), health, nutrition, emergency shelter and non-food items (ESNFI), and multi-purpose cash clusters.

Physical access is also a major operational challenge, particularly in Shabelle, Afder, and Liban zones, as the main roads and bridges are inundated and/or damaged, while boats and heavy terrain trucks are unavailable. There has been a rain break for the last six days as of 28 November in the southeastern part of the Somali region. The river water subsided, allowing commercial trucks and the first humanitarian convoy carrying ESNFIs and food to arrive in Charati, with the Dolo Ado – Charati – Hargelle road becoming accessible for light vehicles. The flood waters remain in the impacted communities, so it will be difficult for them to resume their normal lives without assistance.

In southwest Oromia zones, as of November 2023, 305,565 people (61,113 households) were affected by flood across 140 kebeles in 13 woredas/districts of Bale, East Bale, West Guji and Arsi zones. An estimated 84,478 hectares (ha) of crop land were damaged and destroyed, including 317 livestock, 10 human deaths, and 18,908 people displaced. In addition, approximately 30 schools were damaged or closed due to flooding (and required maintenance), four (4) health facilities, 24 water pipes, more than 25 rural roads, and 80 houses were damaged. The provision of educational materials, WASH NFI, and food, protection support, supply of emergency drugs and materials for prevention and control of cholera, malaria, measles, malnutrition, outbreak, and supply of ITN (bed nets) is very critical. Humanitarian access challenges and the destruction of health facilities (55) are also hampering overall emergency operations in Abaya, Gelana, and Bule Hora woredas, of the West Guji Zone, affected by floods and disease outbreaks. Partners are beginning to respond with limited resource capacity. In West Guji Zone (Gelana and Abaya woredas), and East Bale Zone (Gololcha Woreda), household water treatment chemicals comprising 510,000 tablets of aquatabs and 36,000 sachets of water purification chemicals were distributed, benefiting 22,667 flood-affected and displaced populations.
Furthermore 5,000 body soaps, 11,000 laundry soap, 5 drums of High Test Hypochlorite (HTH) chlorine (70 per cent) for water disinfection for West Guji and East Bale Zone, as part of WASH / hygiene promotion activities. In addition, some 500 Jerrycans and 500 Plastic buckets were distributed in Gololcha woreda of East Bale zone, reaching 500 households. In Gelena woreda, West Guji Zone, partners distributed ESNF items benefiting 1,287 households under the Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM). Spot-check assessments conducted by the Bale zonal DRMC with the support of partners indicated that at least 7,000 ha of the zone’s land was damaged, while 61 houses in Sinana Woreda, and a school in Goba Woreda were also damaged by floods. Primary needs include food assistance, WASH/ NFI including water purification tablets, health assistance, especially to contain malaria and cholera outbreaks, agricultural inputs (including quick yielding seeds), as well as school maintenance and educational materials. Amid the huge gap in response, the Bale DRMC provided a one-off food assistance (wheat flour) mobilized from the community to 60 most vulnerable displaced households. Meanwhile, the regional DRMC and clusters are engaging in advocacy for resources.
The humanitarian response capacity, remains minimal and inadequate, exacerbated by the shortage of humanitarian partners and response resources to address flood, cholera, and protracted drought-impacted communities in the southwest Oromia zones.

In the South Ethiopia Region, Dasenech Woreda (South Omo Zone) has experienced the worst floods with a devastating impact. Unseasonal and heavy rainfalls in the highland parts of the South Ethiopia Region (SER) and the Southwest Ethiopia Peoples Region (SWEPR) in October and first half of November resulted in the overflow of the Omo River and inundated 27 of the 40 kebeles in the woreda. Consequently, 79, 828 people are affected and 69, 256 people displaced from 27 Kebeles and seven (7) other at-risk kebeles. The flood submerged 123,000 ha of grazing areas and large number of livestock migrated to Kenya and bordering areas in Hamer and Nyngatom woredas in South Omo. 1,763 ha of farmland was also damaged by the flood. An estimated 889,454 livestock (cattle 534,320; goat 180,750; sheep 174,384) are displaced and 2.99 million livestock encircled by water. A total 14 schools are affected, six (6) fully inundated and eight (8) encircled by water. Moreover, about 3,148 (male 1,860, female 1,288) children out of school due to floods. Fully flooded nine (9) health facilities (health posts eight (8); health center (1)) and encircled five (5) (4 health posts and one (1) health center). 21 water schemes (six (6) shallow wells, 13 medium size wells, two (2) solar water schemes) are also damaged. Nine (9) water schemes are also at risk (four (4) medium-size wells, five (5) solar water schemes). Washed away fishing materials, submerged grain mills, churches/religious institutions, restaurants, and other private properties. The Ethiopian Disaster Risk Management Commission (DRMC) and its regional counterpart have distributed 235.4 metric tons (MT) of grain/flour, 1,569 pieces of emergency shelter and one boat.
The food assistance addressed the needs of 15,693 people and the shelter assistance addressed 1,569 people.

For further information, please refer to the joint Government of Ethiopia – United Nations statement on the unprecedented floods, flood response dashboard (as of 27 November), and a situation report (as of 15 November)