OCHA Situation Report No. 1
Pathein Hub Update
Myanmar Cyclone Nargis
25 November 2008


Source:
UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
(Reporting period  - 25 November 2008)

OVERVIEW & KEY DEVELOPMENTS

- OCHA has established the sixth hub office in Pathein, to support 
coordination among the humanitarian partners and local authorities that 
are covering areas such as Ngapudaw and southern Middle Island. With the 
coordination team now in place full time in Pathein, OCHA hopes to 
strengthen humanitarian coordination including MIMU data collection and 
dissemination serving the area. OCHA will continue convening monthly 
General Coordination Meetings and facilitate inter-cluster coordination on 
issues such as overlapping areas done by MRCS and Save the Children.

- There are five clusters active in the Pathein hub: Child Protection 
(chair UNICEF); Education (UNICEF); Health (WHO); Livelihoods (UNDP); and 
WASH (UNICEF).

- The areas of coverage have a continuing need for water. Access to some 
parts of Ngapudaw and Middle Island has been challenging, as the regular 
commercial boat services take at least 3 hours from Pathein and there is 
no regular air access. Due to this difficult access, some agencies such as 
Save the Children, MRCS, Pyi Gyi Khin, World Vision even UNDP have 
established sub-offices in the various locations across the Middle Island.

- The western part of Ngapudaw township is lacking coverage by 
humanitarian partners, including Kwin Bet, Pan Hmaw, Za Bar Gyi, Nat Hmaw, 
Gwe Gyaing, Nant Thar Pu, Nga Yoke Kaung, Moe Tain Byin, Thit Youn, and 
The Byu. Some reports on no assistance in some areas still need 
verification. MRCS will be doing a distribution in the western Ngapudaw 
and will try to get any relevant data from the government offices covering 
that area.

- The head of Divisional Health Department (DHD) in Pathein Division is 
the Officer-in-Charge for the health activities while various Township 
Medical Officers (TMOs) are responsible for the respective areas as well 
and Township Education Officers (TEO) for education activities. The 
eastern part of Middle Island has been moved to Labutta township 
administration from Ngapudaw. The Government's cyclone response is still 
assumed by authorities in Ngapudaw. Only child protection is covered by 
Labutta authority as the chair of child protection committee is the 
chairman of Labutta Township Peace and Development Council as well as head 
of the township General Administration Department.

SECTORAL UPDATE

CHILD PROTECTION

- In Middle Island, 27 Child Friendly Spaces (CFSs) have been set up by 
Save the Children (15), Yadana Myitta (6) and MRCS (6). The 15 CFSs under 
the Save the Children will phase out at the end of December and will be 
transformed into libraries.

- The child protection cluster has reported that in Phinkhayaing area, 
there are:

    115 separated children
    1 unaccompanied child
    2,512 vulnerable children
    43 missing children

- The volunteers of Yadana Myitta will help the Save the Children in 
registering for the Family Tracing and Reunification (FTR) activity. In 70 
villages that Save the Children covers, 42 still need to do the 
registration.

- There is no agency covering child protection in Haingyikyun.

EDUCATION

- Malteser will build an affiliated Middle School in Ka Nyin Ngu village 
within a month. The school will be fully furnished. Malteser also plans to 
build a primary school in Chaung Gyi village in Thin Gan Kone village 
tract.UNICEF has so far distributed 400 gallon capacity water barrels, 55 
units not only for rain water collection but also for storage water in dry 
season among the 53 schools but it is not enough. More barrels, estimated 
75 units are in pipeline.

- UNICEF reported that most damaged primary schools have been renovated 
and stationary materials were provided among 83 schools have been covered 
out of the 157 damaged schools. Metta Foundation and Save the Children 
provide schools outside of UNICEF coverage with roofing sheets, 
tarpaulins, student and teacher kits and necessary renovation.

HEALTH

- Nutrition status is becoming of concern for some areas and 820 cartoons 
of BP5 nutrition bars have been delivered to TMO in Ngapudaw in the first 
week of November. TMO has not been able to deliver them to RHCs due to 
lack of transportation. All cluster partners have been requested to help 
in transportation. It was agreed that the supply should be sent to Pathein 
UNICEF, which can arrange smooth and easy transportation from Pathein to 
sub-offices rather than from Ngapudaw.

- IRC will provide 3 motorised boats to the RHC of Me Gyi Pin, sub centers 
of Hgnet pauk and Kyar Kan villages, in order to support referral 
transportation. IRC's renovation work for the Ma Gyi Pin hospital (16 
beds) is 90% finished.

- World Vision has distributed bed nets in San Gyi village tract (one net 
per two persons).

- Malteser is in the process of closing three of its four mobile clinics. 
Chaung Wa clinic has already been closed. The Ah Htet Pyun clinic will 
close at the end of November and Thet Kei Thaung at the end of December. 
The clinic in Thingangone will remain open. Malteser will establish sub 
rural health centres in Ah Htet Pyun, Kyar Kan, War Kone, Kan Chaung and 2 
RHCs in Thin Gan Kone and Thet Kei Thaung.

LIVELIHOODS

- UNDP is conducting cash-for-work (CFW) in 20 villages in Middle Island. 
UNDP will soon add 21 more villages and hopes to cover in total 60 
villages. In each target village, Village Early Recovery Committee is 
formed to implement the scheme, targeting most poor households, landless 
farmers and the farmers with rice fields less than 3 acres. CFW will 
entail latrine contraction.

- Save the Children is carrying out CFW involving basic infrastructure. 
The project will cover 116 villages under the 22 village tracts, out of 
which 28 villages have already been covered. The scheme is targeted for 
the poorest families with lowest income.

- Pyi Gyi Khin (PGK) is focusing on fishery recovery in Oke Twin village 
tract, consisting of 10 villages (1,300 households).

- MRCS will implement CFW in 28 villages under 4 village tracts (Kyauk 
Chaung, Kan Chaing, War Kone and Dee Du Gone). The project has started in 
Kyauk Chaung and Kan Chaing VTs to repair bridges and roads. The daily 
wages per one unskilled labourer is 2,000 Kyats per day; and per carpenter 
as skilled labour is 4,000. In addition to infrastructure, CFW will 
involve garden farming, fishing and micro credit project until the end of 
December.

- IRC plans to implement the Community-Driven Reconstruction (CDR) project 
in 15 villages, (Kyar Kan, Ah Htet Pyun, Yae Paw Gyi, Ye Paw Lay, Daunt 
Gyi, Poke Ta, Kone Tan, Ta Zin Kyun, Dut Taw Kone, Kyar Bo Kone, Ka Nyin 
Ngu, Ta Khun Taing, Koe Htaung, Inn Ga Day and Htaw Pone Nar). IRC will 
provide them with necessary training to undertake CFW in pond protection, 
school renovation, income generation, fishing and garden farming.

WASH

- Pyi Gyi Khin (PGK) confirmed that, for Kyauk Chaung and Kyonku villages 
in Haigyikyun sub-township, there is a water source 14 miles away and that 
the villagers need the water storage for dry season. PGK will look in to 
ways and means of fetching the water from 14 miles away and any other 
difficulties faced by the community, and report back UNICEF Pathein.

- Ngapudaw upper areas have about 70 drinking water hand dug wells. 
Malteser targeted 100 ponds and hand dug wells. Malteser has been able to 
meet 80% of the initial target.

- Malteser has 2 Mobile Water Treatment Units that it plans to move around 
the villages to treat water from ponds and dug wells and distribute to 58 
villages as part of its dry season strategy. The Water Treatment unit's 
capacities are ranging from 3000 to 6000 l/hr. Malteser requested UNICEF 
to provide communal water storage tanks so that communities can have 
enough water storage when Malteser distributing the safe water.

- Metta Foundation and UNICEF reported that the quality of water from the 
pond in Thet Ke Thou is not good and that there is very little in the pond 
right now. If other areas have a similar situation, then collection of 
water or source of water will be a big issue during summer. The hand pumps 
yield very little water and are expected to dry up in summer too. In some 
areas, ponds have more water but it remains salty even after cleaning it 
for four -five times.

Full Report:
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/retrieveattachments?openagent&docid=056D1C9B4C02791CC125751300446733&file=Full_Report.pdf


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