Smart Agriculture & Water Conservation 500 Farmers

Jacobabad District Hit Hard by Floods 2012 and still flood vicitms waiting for support

Jacobabad shares border with Jaffarabad, Baluchistan. So it has a lot of influence from Baluchistan. Both Baluch and Sindhi communities are living together.AHD staff conducted several interviews from local residents. IDPs taking shelter alongside roads on bypass to Baluchistan were still waiting for help. They had to move from their homes and take shelter here. Still some of their family members were left behind. When asked from people have they been approached? They told still they haven’t got any assistance from GOVT or other NGOs. They are catching fish from flood water and selling their livestock and poultry to meet their daily challenges. Their animals are under serious traumas and injuries which might prove fatal and may lose them. They had poor shelter facilities. They don’t have safe drinking water for themselves as well as their animals. Surrounding areas are inundated in water so no feed is available for their livestock. When asked from……..city resident. He told that rain has snatched his only Source of income from him. He used to transport things on his horse driven cart which is now of no use due to death of his horse when wall collapsed on it. This year Jacobabad received 481 mm rainfall, highest in the last 100 years. Torrential water from hills of Baluchistan added to flood situation and caused devastating effects in this area         

1. Community visits, village groups, IDPs

All 40 UCs(90% of the district) is affected by devastating flood. Due to this rural community was forced to leave their houses and take shelter alongside roads and other safe places. They moved with their families and livestock the basic asset of their livelihood. Total no of 195645 were displaced in this scenario. Local Govt provided shelter to only 531 in some school. Rest is left on their own. Most of the IDPs don’t even have some shelter facility and are living in open area. They are under serious threats if remained in such condition. They are anxiously waiting for help. Some people are still reluctant to evacuate their houses and taken shelter on rooftops. Some are being rescued by Army. UCs comprising city area is also affected from urban flash flooding. Water has inundated GOVT buildings as well as residential areas. Total house damage recorded is 85000 in no. Total population affected is 8,90,000 in no. Fatal causalities were 9 and injuries reported as 45 in no.     

Problem analysis regarding food security:

Total cropped area affected by floods is 281187 acres (90%) of the total cropped area. Agriculture and livestock is the main source of communities living here. Paddy rice, Wheat and Barley are the cash crops sown here. Rice is the standing crop now in fields and totally damaged due to rain and flood. Although water is suitable for rice crop but high quantity in fields has adverse effects on crop. The water table of Jacobabad is high so no seepage of water in soil makes conditions worse for crops. So this year again crop sown is not going to benefit these people. During evacuation these people couldn’t take away any type of stored stock with them to safe places. They are having great problems now because of food insecurity and this will lead to catastrophic situation in coming time when Rabi crops are to be sown. Livestock perished the same way as many of the ruminants small or large had been drowned and what number that has been taken along are in trauma and bad health conditions. If appropriate measures will not be taken soon, this source of livelihood and food security will be lost as well.     

Crops situation

Standing crops are inundated in water. Kharif crop rice is standing in the field and badly affected by rain. Incidence of pathogenic diseases can be clearly seen in the form of blights, rice bunt, rice blast, and stem rots. Clogging in root system of crops in fields inundated in water. This picture clearly indicates that 100% crops perished. Following is the season of Rabi crop wheat which will be difficult to sow as water is to be seen in field areas.80% of the community depending on farming and rearing animals. After the havoc created by flood its quiet difficult for them to survive.    

Livestock & Domestic Animal

Livestock including large and small ruminants are key source of livelihood for people in Jacobabad. These provide them milk, meat, hides and eggs etc. Domestic animals are kept for transportation purposes when driven in carts. Weekly market is organized for sale and purchase of these animals. This provides support to owners in terms of cash. But flood conditioned has destroyed this sector as well. Total no of livestock perished is 167.Cattle headed persons perished is 1672 in no. Those who were able to take along with them their cattle and poultry are selling them on cheap prices. These prices are very low. What else these owners can do. Diseases have break out. Their animals are under serious traumas and physical worse conditions. Health condition of these animals is very poor. There is no feed present for them. These animals also don’t have safe water to drink. Vaccinations are also not provided to these animals and are on risk from suffering of contagious and other pathogenic diseases. Destocking is highly active in these areas.    

Fear / views from local community ………………IDPs…….

IDPs have great concerns for them and animals in their possession. During survey and visits in these groups it was noticed that they were anxiously waiting for assistance. While living in such conditions they feel unsecure, because of many issues like socio-economic and cultural. Their women and children are unsafe in these open areas. Their animals might get robbed and dead due to outbreak of diseases. They don’t have resources to keep them survive how can they manage to keep their animals alive. Some of the female headed households are in deep shock and refused to talk. They just uttered this single world help.         

1. Emergency Needs

• Food Assistance for Humans
• Medical facilities
• Safe Drinking Water
• Sanitation and Hygiene(pit latrines and soaps for hand washing)
• Shelter (tent city)
• Feed for livestock(urea molasses, wheat straw, multi nutrient blocks)
• Water for livestock(water troughs)
• Shelter(communal or group based) for livestock
• Vaccination for livestock
• Regulated Destocking

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