Rapid Response Payment Request No. 28/2008
Funds Sent To:
- Church's Auxiliary for Social Action (CASA)
- Lutheran World Federation/Department for World Service India Programme (LWSI)
Amount Sent:
- CASA: US$ 29,265
- LWSI: US$ 28,522
Date: 31 October 2008
Details of Response
Emergency: Ethnic Violence in Assam, India
Date of Emergency: Late October 2008
Implementing Members: CASA and LWSI
DETAILS OF THE EMERGENCY
Background
Violence erupted in the first week of October, between two communities viz. the Bodo and Muslim community in Udalguri and Darrang Districts following the abduction of a person from the majority Bodo community in Mohanpur village on October 3rd, allegedly by a group of people from the religious minority i.e. Muslim community. Fierce clashes between the Bodo and Muslim communities led to many people being injured and in several areas of the two districts police resorted to firing to disperse violent mobs. About 300 villages have been affected by the violence so far. The violence has spread to other areas in North Assam with many people fleeing in panic.
A curfew has been imposed in some areas of Udalguri and Darrang districts. In some areas "shoot-on-sight" orders have been issued and an increased number of army and Border Security Forces (BSF) personnel have been deployed. Some 2,505 houses were damaged, amongst which 500 houses were torched and reduced to ashes.
The Bodos feel that the "illegal" Bangladeshis pose a big threat to the identity of the indigenous community. People in the affected areas of Udalguri and Darrang complain of a systematic design by which the illegal migrants forcibly grab the land of the locals. The locals are against such an attitude of the minority community. The inhabitants of Udalguri and Bhakatpara have cited many examples of forcible marriage after the abduction of Bodo girls at the behest of the migrants.
Impact
The death toll in the ethnic riots in Udalguri district, which also spread to parts of Darrang and Sonitpur districts, has gone up to 25 including the four killed in police firing. As a result of fear and panic, a large number of people have moved out of the affected areas. It is estimated that about 321 villages have been affected by this violence. About 96000 people are presently residing in various relief camps (about 52 nos). Some people affected by the conflict have lost all their belonging which were set ablaze.
Issues:
1. The living conditions of the relief camps are far from satisfactory where the hygienic needs, especially of women, pregnant, grown up girls etc. are not adequately met.
2. Many people have lost their houses with their belongings as they were burnt by the anti-social elements.
3. The displaced people are struggling to make ends meet as many of them have lost their livelihoods.
4. Security and peace are major concerns.
ACTIONS TO DATE, AND EMERGENCY NEEDS
CASA is in the process of identifying the beneficiaries in cooperation with its partner agencies. On completion of survey the distribution of relief material will begin. Members of the target group will be involved in identification of families who will receive the relief sets. The assistance of the local community will also be solicited during the actual distribution of the relief material. Government and local church representatives will be invited to witness the distribution wherever possible.
The LWSI Rapid Assessment Team already visited the affected area and has identified assistance gaps in the relief camps. The assessment team analysed the immediate requirements of the vulnerable people. The LWSI assessment team made an overview of the present situation and looked into the action taken by the Government and the responses of various organisations in service to the needs of the camp populations.
LWSI surveyed eight affected villages of the Bodo communities namely- Boiraguri, Sonaipara, Jhoragaon, Mohanpur, Rangagora, Sapmari, Udalbari and Phalansuguri. The team observed that the houses of these villages were burned to ashes or destroyed completely. They were also informed that household properties like furniture, utensils, electronic articles and other materials had been taken away by the unknown miscreants who attacked them. The District Collectorate office, Udalguri informed that there are almost 41 relief camps set up in Udalguri District alone. To understand the situation of the people living in the relief camps, the LWSI rapid assessment team visited some of the indigenous people's camps. It was perceived by the team that the people who have taken refuge in the camp are reluctant to return to their respective villages due to security reasons. Tension and mistrust still prevail among the Muslim and non-Muslim communities. Unknown miscreants are responsible for creating a chaotic and violent atmosphere in the region. In consultation with the police, some of the village leaders have taken the lead to organise peaceful meetings comprising Police officers, army personnel and a few village members to find solution for the seasonal harvest.phere in the region. In consultation with the police, some of the village leaders have taken the lead to organise peaceful meetings comprising Police officers, army personnel and a few village members to find solution for the seasonal harvest.
The present condition of the people in the relief camps is very bad. The Government schools, colleges and the market places have been transformed into temporary shelters for the people who have lost their houses and belongings. The interaction with the camp populations provided relevant information about the immediate requirements to sustain life temporarily. It is found that in spite of relief materials being provided by Government and non-governmental organisations, there is a scarcity of certain materials like utensils, blankets, bed sheets, warm clothing, men's and women's wear, baby food, books, pen and pencils.
The State Government's response is good but not adequate to lessen the suffering of the homeless people. The basic needs like rice, lentils, potatoes, oil, fire wood, dry biscuits for children, stationeries, cloths, water and medicines are provided along with periodical health check ups. The State Government is unable to provide proper or adequate security as demanded by the riot afflicted people in order to return to their native villages.
Essential emergency needs include:
Temporary Shelter:
Many of the houses have been badly damaged or reduced to ashes as they were destroyed by the anti-social elements. The camps for the displaced people were initially set up in schools and colleges. However, due to the prolonged nature of the displacement, the people are now being shifted to open fields so that the institutions can resume teaching activities. In view of this and winter round the corner, the primary need of the affected people is temporary shelter.
Household articles:
Many families have lost household articles and are therefore deprived of basic necessities such as clothing, blankets and other articles of daily use.
CASA PROPOSED EMERGENCY RESPONSE
OBJECTIVES OF THE EMERGENCY RESPONSE:
The objective of the project will be to provide immediate relief assistance to the violence affected people in Assam and help them onto the path of recovery, in the form of clothing, blankets and other articles of daily use for 1,500 affected families.
TARGET POPULATIONS
Priority will be given to the most vulnerable sections of the affected people such as the marginalised communities, excluded communities, widows, physically challenged, single women headed families and children.
PROPOSED ASSISTANCE
In view of the present emergency situation, the following activities are proposed under this emergency intervention
Household articles: 1,500 relief sets will be provided in Assam. Each set will consist of 1 woollen blanket, 1 dhoti (a garment worn by the men),1 saree (women apparel),and pieces of aluminium utensils.
Tarpaulin Sheets: As indicated earlier, temporary shelter is the primary need at present for these displaced people as they are now put up in open areas without a roof to take cover. The situation is further worsening considering the onset of winter shortly. CASA is providing tarpaulin sheets to these affected people through other resources, to meet this immediate primary need.
List of Villages:
The names of the relief camps & villages identified for relief assistance in Assam are as given below:
District / Relief Camp/Village / No. of people / Remarks
Udalgiri / Udalgiri College Relief Camp & Udalgiri Girls higher secondary school relief camp / 11,000 & 1,100 / The people residing in these two camps are Christians & Muslims
Darrang / Buragaon village camp / 5,000 / The people residing in this village are all Muslims
IMPLEMENTATION ARRANGEMENTS
CASA has worked in the area of disaster management and response for the last 60 years. Its experiences of many relief programmes taken up in the past will form a platform of knowledge and experience for implementing the proposed programme. CASA will be the main implementing partner and will be directly responsible to the resource sharing partners in all respects. CASA will be doing the reporting on the progress of the programme. All finances will be received and accounted for by us. The existing staff of CASA will be used for organising the various activities.
The CASA Delhi Headquarters will coordinate the overall operation which includes expertise in disaster response, logistics and emergency communications. The co-ordination at the state level is with the Zonal office of CASA in Kolkata and sector offices in Eastern India. Co-ordination, monitoring, consolidation of reports and accounting will be the main functions of these co-ordinating offices.
Some of the relief material (Dhotis, sarees, utensil sets & blankets) will be sourced from our existing disaster preparedness stocks from several locations and the remaining balance will be purchased locally by a deputed purchase committee. This committee will include staff, partner and church representatives.
The overall financial management and control will be with the CASA Headquarters. At the zonal level it will rest with the Chief Zonal Officer. At the implementing level the Field Coordinators will be responsible for financial monitoring and control. The Books of account would be maintained by qualified Accountants and the entire project account will be consolidated at Kolkata. This office will scrutinize the accounts and submit the same to Headquarters for onwards submission. Preparation of financial reports of the project and the final audit of the account will be done at the Headquarters level.
The zonal office and sector offices of CASA have the requisite infrastructure and personnel for continuous monitoring of the programme at the field level which will be done on a regular basis through field visits, submission of reports, staff-partner meetings and interaction with beneficiaries.
CASA would ensure the active involvement and participation of the beneficiaries in the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the project activities. The programme will be constantly monitored for ensuring that it progresses along the planned framework, and also in order to fine-tune it as and when required, based on field responses.
A report will be submitted on completion of the intervention. At the end of the programme, a review will be conducted to assess the impact of the programme and document learning for future planning.
COORDINATION
CASA Headquarters will be in touch with resource partners. Contacts with the local churches and CASA partner organisations in these states are already strong. CASA will involve the churches and the regional/local NGOs in co-ordinating the relief intervention. The purpose would be to make the effort more effective and to avoid any possible duplication of efforts in the areas of intervention. This programme will be conducted with the approval and co-operation of the State Governments and district officials.
CASA is maintaining regular contact with local administrations for proper coordination and effective implementation of the proposed programme. CASA is already participating and will continue to participate in coordination meetings called by the state/district administration in these states, and other networks.
CASA is having regular contact and sharing of information with ACT India partners, and there was specific discussion and understanding reached with LWSI, regarding the locations of relief intervention being taken up by CASA (relief camps & villages) in order to have proper co-ordination and to avoid duplication of work.
Members of the target group will be involved in identification of families who will receive assistance and all efforts will be made to involve them in all facets of the programme intervention to promote transparency and ownership.
Linkages with development actors working within the project area pre-exist based on CASA's prior activities and NGO partnerships in these area. CASA will be working in coordination with other NGOs and will be networked with them for ensuring coordinated implementation of its programmes so as to complement and supplement those being implemented by other agencies. At the district, block and panchayat levels too, we are in constant touch with all three State Government authorities, local panchayat leaders and the NGOs.
Planning Assumption, Constraints And Prioritisation
Transportation will be an area of concern, due to the current violence and other anti-social elements operating in the affected areas. CASA will make attempts to procure material locally or from nearby places to reduce the transportation cost & the risks of lootings & robbery. There is also a concern of the safety of our staff and other volunteers considering the sensitive situation in the affected areas.
PLANNED IMPLEMENTATION PERIOD
The total relief project duration will be 10 days from its inception. The total duration will of course also depend upon timely mobilization of resources. (Estimated 2 months).
CASA BUDGET: US$ 29,265
(For the detailed budget, kindly visit the ACT site. Thank you.)
LWSI PROPOSED EMERGENCY RESPONSE
OBJECTIVE(S) OF THE EMERGENCY RESPONSE
To provide life saving and life sustaining assistance to reduce suffering and restore state of normalcy. Assistance will:
Provide basic non food items like utensils, sleeping materials
Ensure better hygienic conditions of the affected families by providing family hygiene kits
TARGET POPULATIONS
LWSI plan to support a total 1,000 families at Udalguri district in Assam. Based on field information and experience, the gender ratio in the area is 53% male and 47 % female.
PROPOSED ASSISTANCE
LWSI proposes to assist 1,000 families living in relief camps in deplorable conditions with relief support during this crisis phase intervention. The relief assistance comprises essential utensils, sleeping materials consisting of mosquito nets, blankets and bed sheets, and family hygiene kits.
IMPLEMENTATION ARRANGEMENTS
LWSI is already in touch with District Collector, Sub Divisional Officers and Inter Agency Group members in Assam. LWSI has a core team placed in Kokrajhar District of Assam. This team is constantly monitoring the situation of the riot-afflicted families taking refuge in relief camps, trying to collect information from Government/District authorities. LWSI is also coordinating with "Christian Coordination Committee" and also various church authorities for better and effective assessment of the situation and appropriate implementation of relief activities in the region. LWSI plans to implement directly in the relief camps set up by Government at Udalguri Districts of Assam.
COORDINATION
LWSI will make all possible attempts to strengthen the interagency coordination in order to evolve better synergy, accountability and to ensure quality humanitarian services. Efforts will be made to develop a strategic thrust on the key aspects regarding who, what and how agencies are responding to the emergency to avoid duplication/wastage of resources.
COMMUNICATIONS
The experienced staff of LWSI in the field are responsible to communicate the information related to the emergency and the condition of the people during and after the violence. The information gathered from the areas of projected emergency intervention will be forwarded to the concerned persons at Head Office. At Head Office, the information received will be well documented with innovative strategies and approaches.
PLANNED IMPLEMENTATION PERIOD
The proposed activities are planned from 1 November 2008 until 31 January 2009.
LWSI BUDGET: US$ 28,522
(For the detailed budget, kindly visit the ACT site. Thank you.)
ACTION
The ACT Co-ordinating Office has approved the use of US$ 57,787 towards the budget from its Rapid Response Fund and would be grateful to receive contributions to wholly or partially replenish this payment. Should there be an appeal for this emergency, the RRF payment will be considered as an advance.
(ends)
ACT is a global alliance of churches and related agencies working to save lives and support communities in emergencies worldwide.
The ACT Coordinating Office is based with the World Council of Churches (WCC) and The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) in Switzerland.
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
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