Lebanon: Tyre humanitarian update - 16 Sep 2006

General Comments.

The Humanitarian Hub facilities will be available to tomorrow; most UN agencies however will be taking a rest day.

Electricity work teams have been observed in many areas including Qantara, Khiam, Ghandouriye and Adaisse in the Marjayoun sub -- -- governorate and in the northern Nabatiyeh area.

Planned Coordination

For coordination of all issues regarding or the Lebanese Army please contact Louis Lepage, the OCHA Civil Military Coordination Officer, by mobile 70156594 or email uncmcoord­_lebanon@yahoo.com

Assessments

NTR

Monitoring

An OCHA team visited the villages of Ain Qana (LBN 44005), Arab Salim (LBN44006), Jourjouaa (LBN 44026), Jbaa (LBN44027), Kfar Fila (LBN 44031), Maifadoun (LBN 44037) and Qaaqaait ej Jisr (LBN 44052). Families from demolished or badly damaged houses have received money to rent houses from Hizbollah and are now staying in within their home villages. Water and electricity supplies to the villages has been restored to pre -- -- war levels. All villages have received food aid but the municipalities of Qaaqaait ej Jisr and Maifadoun expressed concern about food security during Ramadan and requested additional support. Jbaa has the only technical college in the 'Tuffa', area composed of nine villages, and has three other schools all of which have varying degrees of bomb damage. The mayor is very concerned that responses by agencies will come too late to allow schools to be open on time, 9th October, and to prevent further damage by bad weather. UXOs are a major concern in the villages of Qaaqaait ej Jisr where there will be an estimated $2,000,000 lost if farmers can't enter their olive grows during the harvest, and in Maifadoun where the school yard has been 'cleaned' but the area surrounding the school remains heavilycontaminated.

UNICEF monitored developments in Bent Jbail and Bayt Yahoun.

Bent Jbail (LBN41008 ): The mayor expects between 2,500 to 4,000 persons to return from Beirut and elsewhere to Bint Jbail in the next week. He was concerned that if key social services are not in place then the returnees will not stay. His priority requests were 200 water tanks for houses, funding for a water truck as there truck was broken, repair of schools and bulbs for street lighting.

Bayt Yahoun (LBN41007): This village appeared over ¾ destroyed. Teams from Electricité de Liban were repairing power lines in the village and surrounding villages.

Health

A WHO team assessed two health facilities in Tyre, both centers are functioning well, using the surveillance forms and submitting them on a weekly basis and no epidemiological alerts were found. A WHO finished the engineering assessment for damaged health facilities, the data will be shared with partners to coordinate the rehabilitation plan to avoid duplication. WHO will participate in structural rehabilitation of some health facilities. WHO supplied two drums of chlorine (90 kg) which were provided to Oxfam to be used for sterilization of domestic water storage tanks in Bent Jbail.

WATSAN

In Beit Yahoun, the contractor commissioned by the Water Authority had poured the footing for the concrete 200m3 water storage tank and was preparing the rebar for the tank. A Mr. Ahmed Naji 03.372975, brother of the mayor Mr. Ali Naji, complained that the tank was being built on his land without his permission. He explained that the original tank had been built in part on his land with his permission however the new replacement tank was far larger and was taking more of his land. He stated he was considering stopping the work if the water authority did not compensate him. Charles Sargsyan WATSAN PO is requested to contact the water authority, clarify the situation and see what steps need to be taken to prevent a repeat of this. In Bent Jbail, the water tank and water treatment plant which had been delivered approximately 2 weeks ago had not been installed. The mayor said that they did not have a person capable of installing it and requested UNICEF's assistance. Charles Sargsyan WATSAN PO in a meeting with NGOs developed a list of which villages were receiving tankered water. Elias Diab APO will use this to submit on 16/9 a plan to phase out bottled water in the relevant villages.

UNICEF provided Bottled water for the following villages:

Agency Updates.

UNICEF

- A Resident Project Officer visited the village of BeitYahoun

- WATSAN specialists visited Alsoltanye Village for a monitoring -- assessment mission.

- UNICEF nutritionist consultant visited the villages of Aytachaab, Markaba, and Houla for a monitoring mission, all the villages had fresh food in good quantities.

- 5 trucks provided by the IHC (Islamic Health Council) with 6,000 Baby Hygiene Kits to Bint Jbeil, the IHC will distribute the BHK through their Network, and Bint Jbeil is used as a Logistical Hub, a request from the IHC for Hygiene Kits to Bekaa valley was submitted and 2 trucks will deliver the aid on Monday.