VZCZCXRO6711
PP RUEHGI RUEHMA RUEHROV
DE RUEHKH #1446/01 2561505
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 131505Z SEP 07
FM AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8504
INFO RUCNFUR/DARFUR COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHRN/USMISSION UN ROME

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KHARTOUM 001446 
 
SIPDIS 
 
AIDAC 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR AF/SPG, PRM, AND ALSO PASS USAID/W 
USAID FOR DCHA SUDAN TEAM, DCHA/OFDA, AND AFR/SP 
NAIROBI FOR USAID/DCHA/OFDA, USAID/REDSO, USAID/SFO AND FAS 
GENEVA FOR NKYLOH 
NSC FOR PMARCHAM, MMAGAN, AND TSHORTLEY 
ADDIS ABABA FOR USAU 
USUN FOR TMALY 
BRUSSELS FOR PBROWN 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: EAID PREF PGOV PHUM SOCI UN SU
SUBJECT: SUDAN - USAID FLOOD ASSESSMENT RENK COUNTY, UPPER NILE 
STATE 
 
 
KHARTOUM 00001446  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1.  Summary.  From August 28 to 30, USAID/OFDA staff visited Renk 
County in northern Upper Nile State, Southern Sudan, to assess the 
effects of recent flooding.  Flooding caused severe damage to homes 
and livestock and affected an estimated 10,000 households, or 
approximately 50,000 people.  Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) 
and UN agencies have played a key role in stabilizing the situation 
by providing emergency food and relief commodities, in addition to 
establishing three temporary internally displaced person (IDP) camps 
to accommodate more than 900 displaced families.  However, with the 
continuation of the rainy season through mid-October, the potential 
for additional flooding remains.  End summary. 
 
---------------- 
FLOOD ASSESSMENT 
---------------- 
 
¶2.  In mid-July, flooding along the Asheer River resulted in severe 
damage to houses, crops, and livestock in Renk, Jelhak, Shimodi, and 
Gaiger payams of Renk County in northern Upper Nile State. 
According to county officials and the Sudan Relief and 
Rehabilitation Commission (SRRC), flooding has affected 10,000 
households, or approximately 50,000 people, including 2,000 
households, or approximately 10,000 people, in Renk town.  In 
Shimodi payam, 72 houses and 11 shops were destroyed.  In Jelhak 
payam, flooding affected 1,500 people, collapsed 700 houses, and 
resulted in the loss of 500 livestock.  In Gaiger payam, officials 
report that 1,675 households, or approximately 8,375 people, were 
affected and 183 livestock lost.  In Jalhak and Gaiger payams, local 
officials expressed concern over significant damage to the 
agricultural sector, including the loss of recently planted sorghum 
fields.  In other areas, high water levels have temporarily made 
agricultural land inaccessible to farmers and flooded crops, raising 
food security concerns. 
 
¶3.  Immediately following the flooding, a joint assessment team 
comprised of members of the European Union-funded NGO consortium 
based in Renk, the county environmental health department, and the 
executive administrator's office conducted a rapid assessment.  This 
was followed by an interagency assessment, including the UN World 
Food Program (WFP), the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), the Office of 
the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the UN Resident 
Coordinator's Office (RCO), World Vision, and SRRC.  Assessments 
noted significant flooding in Renk town, particularly in blocks 10 
and 12, and a significant deterioration in the quality of drinking 
water as a result of disruptions to the fuel supply. 
 
¶4.  In all flood-affected areas, officials are concerned that health 
and nutrition conditions will further deteriorate as a result of 
stagnant and standing water and the accompanying increased risk of 
waterborne diseases.  In some health centers in Jelhak town, there 
is a serious shortage of medicine to treat the prevalence of 
malaria, skin diseases, and respiratory infections due to the 
absence of a functioning system to replenish drug supplies from Juba 
or Khartoum.  The shortage has prompted a dramatic increase in 
prices. 
 
--------------------- 
HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE 
--------------------- 
 
¶5.  NGOs and UN agencies have played a key role in stabilizing the 
situation by providing emergency food and relief commodities, in 
addition to establishing three temporary IDP camps.  As the lead 
agency of the Renk County NGO consortium, Mercy Corps has been 
instrumental in supporting local government and UN flood response, 
particularly in the absence of a permanent UN presence in the 
county. 
 
¶6.  NGOs and UN agencies have established three temporary IDP camps 
to accommodate more than 900 displaced families.  Other displaced 
households are sheltering with relatives and friends.  Humanitarian 
agencies are providing health, emergency relief commodity, shelter, 
and water, sanitation, and hygiene services t camp populations. 
UNICEF has provided two water purification units installed by 
Medair, 270 kilograms of chlorine to treat water sources, and 1,500 
emergency relief commodity kits, including plastic sheeting.  In 
collaboration with Mercy Corps and a local community-based 
organization, Mubadiroon, UNICEF has also established two medical 
units.  Mercy Corps and Medair have jointly constructed 72 pit 
latrines and initiated a health education and environmental 
sanitation awareness campaign.  In addition, UNHCR, World Vision, 
 
KHARTOUM 00001446  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
and Medair have provided relief commodities, including plastic 
sheeting and mosquito nets. 
 
¶7.  In Renk town, Mercy Corps and the local government have prepared 
4,100 meters of trenches to drain accumulated water, helping to 
minimize damage.  The local government provided engineering 
services, supplemented by a cash-for-work program implemented by 
Mercy Corps and funded through Christian Aid. 
 
¶8.  Throughout flood-affected areas of Renk County, government and 
humanitarian agencies are providing assistance.  The Government of 
Southern Sudan (GOSS) has provided USD 25,000 to assist in the local 
transport and distribution of relief supplies and 340 tents.  Local 
authorities have also provided 100 tents, 100 plastic sheets, fifty 
90 kilogram bags of sorghum, and USD 7,500 for transportation costs. 
 WFP has provided a 15-day food ration for 1,411 households, and has 
agreed to provide an additional three-month food-for-recovery ration 
through Mercy Corps.  Local NGOs funded through Khartoum-based 
assistance campaigns have also provided assistance, although details 
are not available. 
 
--------------- 
LOOKING FORWARD 
--------------- 
 
¶9.  USAID staff report that despite current response efforts, gaps 
remain.  Priorities identified by local communities and county 
officials include medicine, shelter materials, mosquito nets, 
blankets, stagnant water treatment, and land allocation for the 
resettlement of affected households.  Government and humanitarian 
agencies are engaging in dialogue with flood-affected communities on 
future settlement plans.  There is a strong consensus that the 
allocation of new land is required for the resettlement of displaced 
populations.  However, building the necessary infrastructure and 
essential services represents a significant challenge and a 
potential obstacle to local authorities' plans to dismantle 
temporary IDP camps by mid-October.  Local government has also 
expressed an interest in establishing food-for-work programs to 
assist flood-affected households to rebuild livelihoods. 
 
FERNANDEZ