CERF allocates $3 million to the flood response in DPR Korea
24 September 2007: CERF allocates $3 million to the flood response in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). Almost one million people in DPRK have been severely affected by widespread flooding, land- and mudslides since 14 August 2007.
An estimated 960,000 people have been affected by the flooding, which killed more than 450 people and made 170,000 homeless across nine provinces, including the capital Pyongyang. With thousands of people living in temporary shelter, ensuring potable water supplies and preventing further cases of water-borne diseases are key priorities.
Joint assessments undertaken by the Government and international actors highlighted major damage to some 240,000 homes, basic medical services, and key infrastructure. Significant damage to crops has been reported, adding to ongoing concerns regarding food insecurity.
![Emergency supplies and food supplements from UNICEF are loaded into trucks by workers at the Pyongyang airport in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. [Photo: UNICEF]](/Portals/11/Images_country/DPRK_CEF_Food_crop.jpg) |
| Emergency supplies and food supplements from UNICEF are loaded into trucks by workers at the Pyongyang airport in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. [Photo: UNICEF] |
“United Nations agencies and European Union Programme Support Units are working closely with the Government of DPRK to bring urgent assistance to those affected by this disaster,” said Margareta Wahlström, the United Nations Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, speaking at the launch of the UN Flash Appeal in New York.
With a CERF grant of $800,000, WFP will provide a basic mixed food basket to 215,000 people in 37 flood-affected counties in Kangwon, South Pyongan, North Pyongan, North Hwanghae, South Hwanghae and South Hamgyong provinces.
The beneficiaries were identified jointly with the Government on the basis of their level of vulnerability as a result of the floods.
Criteria included destruction/damage of domiciles, displacement, disruption of livelihoods and loss of food stocks and livestock. WFP assessment findings and reports from the authorities support the need for food aid to avert hunger and prevent deterioration in nutritional levels in the flood-affected districts in the immediate term.
The CERF grant allows WFP to rapidly procure necessary food commodities, which is crucial to allow WFP to provide emergency assistance to flood-affected populations while at the same time maintaining WFP regular programme activities, such as school feeding, supplementary feeding/mother child nutrition and food for community development for the most vulnerable groups.
The destruction of many health facilities, loss of medicine and medical material stocks leaves a substantial proportion of the population with limited access to basic health services. The government of DPRK identified health needs as the major priority for international assistance. They have specifically mentioned the need for essential medicines, medical consumables and basic medical equipment as critical to restoring basic health services for the affected population.
The WHO response, financed with $800,000 from CERF, focuses on monitoring health threats and risks through surveillance and addressing critical threats, e.g. outbreaks, loss of access to health services, etc. by ensuring appropriate and basic primary health care actions and strengthening secondary levels of medical care in the affected areas, provision of essential medicines and emergency medical supplies to the hospitals damaged or destroyed by the floods.
Diarrhea was a major cause of mortality, morbidity and malnutrition of children under five. As a result of the widespread breakdowns of water supply systems caused by the floods, the great majority of rapid assessments conducted by international agencies have indicated significant increases in the number of cases of diarrhea. Given that the rehabilitation of water supply systems will require significant time, it is likely that the high incidence of diarrhea will continue over the coming months.
In order to address this problem, UNICEF will work with the Ministry of Public Health and other organizations involved in the sector (WHO, IFRC and NGOs) to strengthen both diarrhea treatment and prevention. The CERF funding of $500,000 will be used to procure and distribute essential supplies to strengthen the treatment of diarrhea mostly for children under five and to conduct a diarrhea control and prevention education campaign over the next months aimed at reducing the incidence of diarrhea in DPRK.
It is estimated that approximately 500,000 children under five in 149 flood affected counties will have increased access to improved treatment of diarrhea episodes in health facilities at the county and Ri levels
The CERF grant of $300,000 will enable UNFPA to ensure that the maternal health services are restored in those severely affected Ri clinics before winter. UNFPA will provide essential midwifery and obstetric kits that contain essential reproductive health drugs and renewable items for management of 50 deliveries at home or in the Ri clinics (Note: 50 Deliveries are the total deliveries in one Ri in 6-12 months), medical instrument, and essential equipment for management of delivery.
FAO’s CERF grant of $600,000 will allow for the rapid restoration of food crop production and food availability amongst 200 co-op farm populations (1 million beneficiaries, of which 700,000 are women and children) affected by recent flood damage and loss of food crops in South Pyongan, North & South Hwanghae, Pyongyang and Kangwon provinces.
The project will address domestic food availability and shortages due to the loss and/or significantly reduced yields (30 per cent below normal) of summer crops (maize, soy and paddy) inundated during the August floods having reached a critical development growth stage. These crops would have been harvested in September and account for 87 per cent of national annual production. Part of the crop surplus is usually transferred to the northern provinces whose growing seasons are considerably shorter and limited to cereals and potato production. Many of the lowlands’ summer cereal crops were waterlogged and removed to prevent further rot, as were damaged/lost vegetables, such as pumpkins, cucumbers and cabbages. Foliage/residues are being salvaged to be used as winter fodder for livestock, whose numbers (mainly cattle, goats and poultry) were dramatically reduced by 171,000 in the lowland provinces.
Funding will be utilized with an urgent life-saving humanitarian aim of assisting rural families having lost household assets, food stocks and severely disrupted livelihoods: includes the purchase of seed for immediate autumn/winter (wheat) sowing in early-October and seed for spring (barley) crops, plastic sheeting for nursery seedbeds and fertilizer. Wheat yields about 3 tonnes per hectare and barley 2.5 tonnes/ha. Without these vital crops, up to one million people would have insufficient food to get through the ‘lean season’ before the harvest of the main summer crops in 2008.
[Last Update: 24 September 2007]
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