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Ethiopia Weekly Humanitarian Bulletin, 13 March 2017

Countries
Ethiopia
Sources
OCHA
Publication date

Key Issues

  • Government and partners taking steps to improve humanitarian coordination in Somali region

  • Some 4.6 million people in need of water trucking support in new drought-hit areas

  • Government provides 200, 000 bales of animal fodder to drought affected areas

  • Mr. Mitiku Kassa, Commissioner of National Disaster Risk Management Commission expressed concerns by the possible extension of the dry season in the current drought belt due to the forecasted weak spring rains. This will further aggravate the already dire humanitarian situation in affected areas. The onset of the rains is already delayed by a week.

Back-to-back seasons of poor or non-existent rainfall in 2015, exacerbated by the strongest El Niño phenomenon on record in the same year, led to the worst drought in decades in Ethiopia in 2016. While the country continues to respond to residual needs from the past drought, below average rains in the southern and eastern parts of the country caused by the negative Indian Ocean Dipole have left 5.6 million people in need of humanitarian assistance in 2017. Some US$948 million is urgently required to respond to the new humanitarian needs.

Government and partners taking steps to improve humanitarian coordination in Somali region

The Government and humanitarian partners agreed on ways to improve the on-going aid delivery in drought-hit areas in Somali region, including regular zonal coordination meetings.

The decentralization of the humanitarian coordination aims to enhance information sharing, facilitate informed--joint operational decitionmaking and accountability.

The coordination effort will be supporting the Incident Command Post (ICP) established by the Government to strengthen humanitarian assistance in drought-hit pastoralist areas, including addressing gaps and occasional delays in aid delivery. Currently, humanitarian partners are strengthening a multisector integrated response plan.

Some 4.6 million people in need of water trucking support in new drought-hit areas

The Ethiopian Government and partners are currently supplying more than 7706 cubic meter of water per day with 351 water trucks operating in 117 woredas, leaving a gap of 283 water trucks.

To meet all identified needs for 4.6 million people e in the drought-hit areas, at least 634 water trucks are needed to supply 13,919 cubic meter of water per day in 188 woredas. Approximately 24 million USD is required to truck water until June 2017. Meanwhile, in all regions, rehabilitation of permanent water supply systems is given precedence, for sustainable and cheaper solution.

Government provides 200, 000 bales of animal fodder to drought affected areas

The Federal Government has provided more than 200 thousand bales of animal fodder to areas hit by the drought in Oromia, Somali, and SNNP regions. According to recent statement by the National Disaster Risk Management Commission, the provision of the fodder helps pastoralists fill the shortage of feed they are facing due to the new drought in the region. Lately, the government has also provided 100 thousand more bales of animal fodder to the Somali Regional State to abate the shortage in the region. Government has given priority to the bull calf, heifers, and cows as price of the fodder is more expensive than the cattle in the drought-hit areas. Feeding cattle with grass from inside the national parks and growing short-cycle grasses are underway in pastoral and dry areas to further address the problem.

For further information contact: ocha-eth@un.org

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs: To learn more about OCHA's activities, please visit https://www.unocha.org/.