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Rapid Response Payment Request No. 04/2012
Funds Sent To: Evangelical Lutheran Church in Congo (ELCCo)
Amount Sent: USD 56,216
Date: 9th March 2012
Details of Response
Emergency: Water, Sanitation and shelter assistance to displaced people in Walikale, North Kivu province of the DRC
Date of Emergency: Since January 2012-ongoing
Requesting Members: EELCO with technical support from Christian Aid (CA)
Details of the Emergency:
Walikale is one of the six (6) territories in North Kivu Province. The territory is approximately 23,475 square kilometers and has approximately 868,559 inhabitants. The average population density is 37 inhabitants per square kilometers (source: Local authorities’ records of 2009). Localities of Hombo and Chambucha (target of this RRF request) are situated on the Walikale – Bukavu road axis, about 110 km from Walikale centre. Due to bad road conditions, Walikale is mainly accessible by air from Goma. It is however possible to reach Hombo area by road from Goma via Bukavu, by travelling across Kivu Lake ( 100 km), then from Bukavu to Hombo ( 90 km ) by road.
Walikale territory has witnessed continuous population movements linked to regular armed clashes between different armed groups. It has also been an area where heavy fighting between the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) and the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) has taken place.
Since February 2011, there have been reported armed clashes between FDLR and a local armed group known as Mayi-Mayi Cheka. These clashes started in the Walowa-Uroba and Walowa-Loanda localities of the Walikale territory. During the period of November/December 2011 and January 2012, the clashes spread to the localities of Ntoto, Mutongo, Isangi and Omate causing mass displacement of the local population.
The mass displacement of the local population was confirmed by the ACT DRC Forum assessment team that carried out their assessment from January 25thto January 31st, 2012. According to the final assessment report, the estimated number of displaced households is 8077 (table 1 below shows the sites and numbers of displaced households from each site), 48 houses have been set on fire, two (2) people have been assassinated and 4 people have been wounded.
Continuing reciprocal reprisals among belligerent forces active in the region do not encourage uprooted population to return back to their home villages. On the contrary, new waves of people fleeing from their villages have been observed, joining the previously displaced people in the host communities that have no adequate capacity to accommodate them in already overcrowded host families. Based on the ACT Forum assessment report, two to three displaced families are forced to share a house that is 6 by 4 meters. This, together with lack of adequate latrines and poor sanitation, has caused the hygiene conditions to deteriorate to a critical level, causing epidemic diseases (diarrhoea, malaria and intestinal worms) that are threatening human life. Considering the precarious conditions where internal displaced persons (IDP’s) and host communities live, there is an on-going need for an urgent humanitarian response.
Actions to Date, and Emergency Needs:
The ACT Forum assessment team conducted their assessment in Walikale Centre and Hombo-Chambucha axis. There have been, however, already some assessments and response activities conducted by other humanitarian agencies in the area.
- CARITAS – Goma has been working on rehabilitating the road from Walikale to Itebero.
- Solidarités is working in the axes of Walikale center Itebero, in WASH sector
- CICR in Kibua and surroundings.
- IMC is providing medical and psycho-social support in Hombo-Chambucha.
- International Medical Committee has provided medical support for local medical facilities.
- Action Against Hunger (ACF) responded in the sector of food security in the axes of Walikale centre- Mpofi – Kibua.
Based on the assessment, there are many uncovered needs in the sectors of food security, nutrition, protection and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) sector. However, because of the high risk of water borne diseases caused by the lack of clean water and sanitary facilities, and absence of other humanitarian actors in the WASH sector in Hombo-Chambucha area, the ACT Forum has decided to prioritize WASH activities. The population in this area consumes untreated water from the river Gawa / Hombo because the water sources in the area are in poor condition and contaminated. All waste is dumped into the same river, exposing the population to waterborne diseases. When it’s raining, there is overflow of river, blocking all domestic activities.
Of the 150 water sources identified by the health sector in Chambucha, only eight (8) are rehabilitated, and even their state is deplorable because leaks are reported for most of the sources. Households draw water from the sources with banana leaves using the pipes. The sources have an average water provision rate of 0.1 l / s. There are no hygienic latrines. In Hombo there are pools of stagnant water in the residential area, providing a breeding place for malaria carrying mosquitoes and contributing to unhygienic conditions.
In order to improve this deplorable situation in Hombo and Chambucha, the ACT forum proposes in this request to carry out the following WASH and shelter activities:
- Treatment with chlorine of water fetched by the local population and IDP’s from Hombo / Gawa rivers
- Awareness rising on hygiene and sanitation of host population and IDP’s in Hombo-Chambucha
- Construction of 80 domestic latrines and 40 public showers for the host families and IDP’s in Hombo-Chambucha
- Rehabilitation of five (5) water sources for safe water
- Building 30 temporary shelters at Hombo
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