PFF Daily Flood Report August 15, 2010

PFF Daily Flood Report August 15, 2010
Fisherfolk Forum on Flood Rescue and Relief Work
IDPs Issue
Presently, Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum (PFF) being one of the major organisations working on humanitarian-based initiatives receiving calls from civil society and media group activists to extend helping hand to feed the internally displaced persons, pouring into Hyderabad and Karachi cities. In fact the PFF does not have resources to respond immediately to the people affected by flood, mostly those displaced from the worst affected districts of Kashmor and Jacobabad coming to Karachi and Hyderabad.
Now the problem of IDPs is an unavoidable challenge, as these affected people from other flood-affected areas like Jamshoro, Dadu, parts of Matiari and Thatta districts are shifting to urban centers like Karachi.
PFF looking to newly emerging situation is trying to sensitise the government functionaries to adopt major camp in Karachi suburbs. For this the PFF team is also approaching certain partners to receive tents so the organization may accommodate the affected people. It was also observed that in Hyderabad all the government-run educational institutes, mostly schools do not have capacity to accommodate all the people. Hundreds of families are still living at embankment side, railway tracks and roads looking for food and shelter.
PFF on the newly emerged issue of IDPs
Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum provided cooked food to 308 individuals shifted from Kashmore to Hyderabad, after the government officials and district Hyderabad administration showed reluctance to help the people. The civil society groups active in the city humanitarian based work approached Fisherfolk Forum to help the affected people in this difficult time. PFF responding the activists provided cooked food to these people.
PFF intervention
Kashmore District
Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum in its new phase observing immediate need has brought four more speed boats on Sunday with the capacity to carry 25 people each to help evacuate more people in Kashmore District. The PFF team observed this while holding meeting with the DCO Kashmore. The district administration of Kashmore has assured PFF of providing diesel to the boats operating for the purpose. For security concerns, the district administration has also assigned one official on each boat being run by the PFF rescue team in the area.
? Evacuated 16200 people with 46 fishing boats
? Provided non-food items to 500 families
? Process started to provided cooked food to 5000 families in Kashmore (40,000 individuals) for five days
? Providing Non-food items including two plastic sheets to each family, mosquito nets, musafa, water cooler, buckets to the same 5000 families
? WASH, soap for hand washing, toilet curtain, clothing soaps,
? Organising 500 health hygiene sessions for women and children in Kashmore district
? Providing 1500 tents for the affected families evacuated from Kashmore
Jamshoro
? Evacuated 12000 people, with 17 fishing boats, from Manjhand, Sann and Sehwan
? NFIS distributed among 200 families
? One month Ration to be provided to 300 families
? Cooked food to 1000 families will be provided for five days
? The same families will be given NFIs and hygiene kits
Thatta
Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum (PFF) team held a meeting with the District Coordination Officer (DCO) Manzoor Ahmed Shaikh to share the PFF’s contribution in the rescue and relief work throughout from Kashmore right to Thatta district. The DCO appreciated the role of the Fisherfolk Forum and said they will further strengthen the coordination to help the needy people in the district. In this regard, a separate meeting the PFF Laar Regional team held at PFF Thatta office to review the situation. The meeting designed two separate teams for doing assessment. One team will assess the situation in Talukas of Right Bank of the river such as Jati, Meerpur Bathoro, and Sujawal and Shah Bandar, while the other team will see the situation in talukas of Left Bank like Thatta, Keti Bandar, Kharo Chhan and Ghora Bari. Jamil Junejo, the team leader will be responsible to coordinate and supervise both teams.
The teams immediately left the Regional Office on Saturday evening to visit their respective areas. One team visited Soorjani Protective Bund and the other visited Monarki. Soorjani was found at low risk, whereas Monarki was witnessed at high risk posing potential threat to the families living in the areas close to the River in Jati, Sujawal, Bathoro and Shah Bandar. There are fears that team observed erosion near Soonda embankment. In case of breaching it will affect UCs Soonda, Jhirik, Chhato Chand,Tando Hafiz and Uc Oongar posing threat to approximately 40,000 people, living in the area.
During the assessment, the team observed that controversial Right bank Outfall Drain (RBOD) has been designed crossing the river bed. This will definitely affect the embankment and may cause breaching and in result mass displacement from the areas.

Rescue Work Updates

The Rescue team shifted 11000 people out of 20,000 people to safe places. Total 60,000 people have been affected in the Katcha areas of Thatta district. It was observed that at least 100,000 people will be affected in the recent flood wave, as the water pressure is rising. There are 25 boats taking part in the evacuation process in close collaboration with the DCO office. PFF teams conveyed the warning call to 9000 people, who came out of the affected areas.
Relief Work
? Cooked food to be provided to 1000 families for five days
? NFIs and hygiene kits to be given to the same families
? PFF put 25 boats standby in the district for evacuation
Thatta is also declared prone to flood disaster and PFF is alert to evacuate the families from katcha areas and helping them with providing relief goods.
Jacobabad
In Jacobabad district, comprising 600,000 population, flood has caused displacement of 400,000 people. The worst affected union councils in Jacobabad district include Thul, Karim Bakhsh, Mirpur Buriro, Lal Bhatti, Ramjhpur, Garhi Hassan, Jongal Zaur, Shul Mahar.
Evacuated people have been shifted to Naseerabad in Sindh and Dera Murad Jamali in alochistan province. Eight camps are available in the area to facilitate the flood victims.
Shikarpur
In Shikarpur district comprising 650000 population, the devastated flood has affected 300000 people. The worst affected talukas include Taluka Lakhi and Garhi Yaseen with Union Councils Rahimabad, Jagan, Mithu Goth, Himayoon, Sultankot and Zarkh Zel, Rustam, Lakhi Ghulam Shah, Garhi Theeho, Kot Shah, Datir Shah, Lundi Mayani. There are total 450 villages affected. The residents have been shifted to Sukkur and Rohri. There are seven government- run camps providing accommodation to these people.
Sehwan needs more work
Looking the situation changed after diversion of the water from Jacobabad, it is feared that 80000 cusec water is flowing to Manchhar Lake via Hamal Lake and RBOD. Local people aware of the route say the water will again enter the River Indus and may hit Sehwan Town and adjoining areas. There are 11 villages, located along the Lake mostly fishermen comprising 6000 population, may be affected by the flood water. In this situation Tehsil Sehwan, District Jamshoro may be the target of new wave of devastating flood. Presently, the flood water has inundated all suburbs and encircled Sehwan Town. It may get access to Indus highway as it is producing final warning call for all towns and villages of Taluka Sehwan.
Quick Response
Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum (PFF) since the day one is monitoring the flood situation and taking part in the evacuation process in close collaboration with the respective district administrations. PFF initially engaged 20 boats in Kashmore, which DCO has already acknowledged while talking to media. The PFF was the first organization took initiative in humanitarian based work with quick response by providing fishing boats. Then PFF put alert 200 fishing boats in the rescue operation from Kashmore up to Thatta district for the evacuation purpose. On Saturday PFF has added further two speed boats, which have capacity to carry 25 people to shift them rapidly. In this regard, federal minister Mir Hazar Khan Bijarani through DCO also approached PFF team to provide him one boat so that he may visit his constituency. Bijarani showed willingness to use the sped boat, which are only available with the PFF team in the entire area. Apart from this the well trained six taskforces are in action to perform efficiently to minimize the human and property loss.
Strategy
Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum has adopted the strategy to make the rescue and relief work easy. PFF has set up three regional offices to monitor the flood situation and respond to initiate evacuation and relief work where it is needed. The three regional offices include Sukkur, Sehwan and Thatta. Hyderabad will be the head office, which is equipped with effective landline telephone, cell phone contacts of focal persons. The PFF communication wing has been made further effective.
S.No Name of Regional focal person Region Contact
1. Mohammed Younus Marri Sukkur 0333-5026459
2. Muzaffar Panhwar Sehwan
3. Jameel Junejo Thatta 0333-7520925
4. Hussain Jarwar, Program Manager and PFF focal person Hyderabad Head office 0346-2412044

PFF initiative for documentation the flood situation
PFF looking the situation worst has decided to document it engaging professionals to make a documentary immediately.
Media cell
PFF media cell is working effectively, sharing update with local and national dailies. The media cell with PFF focal person deals efficiently with the national and international media persons, coming to visit the flood affected areas or they want to know updates through internet. In this regard, the teams monitoring the situation closely and taking part in evacuation process with respective district administrations inform the media team updates on daily basis. Apart from this, French Tv team and one Tv correspondent from Canada called Fisherfolk Focal person Hussain Jarwar to learn the fresh situation of the impacts of flood on the people and PFF intervention.