Anita Swarup in Nairobi
Thousands of people may face starvation in Burundi after many parts of the country were hit by unusually heavy rains since the end of October 2006.
Large areas have been flooded destroying food crops such as beans, maize, sorghum, rice, potatoes and vegetables. For example, around 80% of the bean crop - important food for families - was destroyed in the lowlands.
The floods have exacerbated an already precarious situation in a country where there are ongoing food shortages.
“Many people generally only eat one meal a day rather than the customary three and this is a country where at least 70% of the people often go hungry,” says Youcef Ait-Chellouche, the Federation’s disaster management coordinator in Nairobi.
Havoc
The floods have created havoc. It is estimated that the crop harvest will be reduced by 50% for the next agricultural season. Already, prices of basic food and vegetables have risen significantly in local markets. However, this situation is likely to continue as there is still a food deficit which is not covered by relief aid or by farming. As well as facing hunger, many people are now homeless. Over 17,000 people have been displaced as their homes have been flooded or have completely collapsed and they are now forced to sleep in churches and schools and other temporary shelters.
The Burundi Red Cross volunteers mobilized themselves and responded quickly to the disaster. With support from the International Federation sub-regional office and the regional delegation in Nairobi, they have been working together with local government and various agencies to provide relief aid in the form of food (it distributed rice from the World Food Programme), non-food items (blankets, buckets, soap, water cans), healthcare and water & sanitation, including the distribution of chloride tablets for treating drinking water.
Cholera
In addition, the Burundi Red Cross volunteers sprayed disinfectant in flooded areas so as to prevent epidemic outbreaks of diseases such as diarrhoea and cholera. They also notified and referred all suspected cases of cholera to the nearest health centre.
A task force was also put in place at the Burundi Red Cross headquarters to collect information. Trained emergency brigades were put on alert and deployed in local branches, such as in Chibitoke and Ryugi districts, to assist affected families and move vulnerable families to higher ground.
Immediate needs were also assessed and indications are that there is an urgent need of non-food items, insecticide treated mosquito nets and seeds. The seeds distribution is an emergency measure to enable affected families to plant early enough and recover from this emergency situation. It will also contribute to increasing the population’s coping mechanisms during the regular drought period which is usually from January to May. Seeds such as beans and maize will be distributed as they have a short germination cycle and therefore the food can be eaten fairly soon.
Food security
Around USD 51,000 has also been allocated from the International Federation’s Disaster Relief Emergency Fund to respond to the needs in this operation which is expected to be implemented over three months and completed by March 2007, in alignment with the Federation’s Global Agenda.
Burundi Red Cross’ disaster management department will continue to coordinate and work with the International Federation’s regional offices. The plan of action now is to provide humanitarian support to the households adversely affected by the rains for example blankets, kitchen sets and soap to 600 affected households, to secure the food security situation through providing seeds for replanting and to safeguard health from water borne diseases and promote hygiene awareness among the people affected by the floods. Distribution of mosquito nets is also considered essential.
Forced repatriation continues
To further exacerbate the situation, the local Red Cross branches in Burundi have reported that some affected people have crossed the border into Tanzania at a time when there is currently a programme of repatriation of Burundian refugees from Tanzania. Burundians living in Tanzania, who are not eligible as refugees, have started to be deported and leave the country without any of their belongings.
The Burundi Red Cross is currently undertaking an operation to respond to the needs of around 150 returnees from Tanzania per day and have set up a transit site in Kinazi in the west of Burundi where people deported from Tanzania stay 2-3 days before being transferred to their region of origin with a ‘return kit’.
Recently a new entry point for people deported from Tanzania was open in Mishiha (Eastern Burundi) and another transit site had to be set up, again in Mishiha municipality, to receive and assist them.