Protracted water shortages in Uzbekistan exacerbated by two years of drought has led to tens of thousands of people in Uzbekistan in need of food aid, says the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
Launching an appeal for one million Swiss francs, the International Federation will provide 20,000 people in the Autonomous Republic of Karakalpakstan with food parcels over four months - a period intended to get them through the winter. Those targeted are from the districts or rayons of Chimbay and Kegeli in the north west of Karakalpakstan, an area that has seen little intervention by aid agencies and which has been among the worst affected by food shortages.
The United Nations' World Food Programme (WFP) and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) have estimated that cereal production in Karakalpakstan dropped by 54 per cent alone last year. With 80 per cent of the population in the autonomous republic dependent on agriculture for their living, the drop in production is a major catastrophe.
"Previously farm workers were being paid in kind with grain, but two years of acute water shortages have resulted in failed harvests. It doesn't only mean no food for them now, but also no jobs. Nearly half a million people in the Karakalpakstan are without a stable income in their family," says Martina Schloffer, team leader of a recent Red Cross Red Crescent assessment mission to Uzbekistan.
The water shortages also mean there is a critical lack of safe drinking water in the country, both in terms of quantity and quality. Uzbekistan has had water problems for many years with its two main rivers, the Amu Darya and Syr Darya heavily exploited to irrigate its cotton fields. This is also the main cause behind the severe depletion of the Aral Sea, the world's third largest inland sea, which is rapidly disappearing.
What water sources there are, are often contaminated. The impact on the health of the population is clear - there is an obvious trend in the rise of diarrhoeal diseases and acute respiratory illnesses, especially among children. Meanwhile, anaemia and malnutrition are weakening people's resistance to disease and illness.
The International Federation, with the Uzbekistan Red Crescent, will implement a health and water sanitation programme targeted to reach up to 150,000 people. Essential drugs will be provided for 30 health posts provide safe water while a health promotion and public awareness campaign on waterborne and communicable diseases will be carried out.For further information, or to set up interviews, please contact:
Jemini Pandya, Information Officer Tel.: +41 22 730 4570 / + 41 79 217 3374
Marie-Françoise Borel, Information Officer Tel.: +41 22 730 4346 / + 41 79 416 3881