Issues

Background information

Bur Hakaba is the largest district amongst the five districts of Bay region in south-west, Somalia. It is located between Baidoa to the west, Wanlawein to the east, Dinsor to the south-west, Jalalaqsi to the north-east and qorioley to the south. The main livelihoods in the district are southern inland pastoral (camel, sheep, and goats) and the agro-pastoral (camel, cattle, sorghum). FSAU hosted by Green Hope conducted two nutrition assessments in May 2007 in Bur Hakaba district which is based on the dominant livelihood zones; Agro-pastoral and Pastoral using 30 by 30 cluster sampling methodology, a sample of 912 children aged 6-59 months and/or less than 110cm were assessed from Agro-pastoral and 904 from Pastoral livelihoods respectively. And two other assessment for Bay region as whole in November 2007 which FSAU findings indicates that acritical situation. The District is estimated to approximate number of 720,000 people living in urban and rural villages specifically 26 main villages and 387 sub-villages with a varied inhabitants of decedents mostly indigenous marginalized and vulnerable community strongly dependents on crop farming and livestock raising.

Water catchments are the main water sources for both the Agro-pastoralsts (77.1%) and pastoralists (63.2%) other sources of water include shallow wells, bore holes and seasonal streams. Most of these water sources are located at recommended distance of less than 500 meters, the results also indicates that most (>80%) of the households owned insufficient number (1-4) of water storage containers withthe capacity of 20 litres limiting their capacity to store water

Situation analysis

Green Hope area of operation being Bay Region especially Burhakaba and Baidoa districts conduct situational analysis on regular basis in order to satisfy its clients/stakeholders.

Green Hope established in Baidoa & Burhakaba Districts two health Center with mobile health Team undertaking supervision & reporting on emergency health activities but it does not received any support from UN/International agencies operating in Bay Region .

reen Hope continues to report cases of AWD in Burhakaba Town & surrounding villages with the latest figures from the period between 29 January 2009 up to now.

An increased number of Acute Watery Diarrhea (AWD) Green Hope established joint with WHO,UNIICEF,WVI, MANHAL and Benadiir Charity Council health emegency care in Bur-hakaba and mobile health Team assessed the affected area of outbreak. These villages are located Eastern zone and the west village is Kurow 7km east of Burhakaba Town . The other villages are located different and their destinations varied..

These people suffering for the AWD are treating the center that established Green Hope and other partner mentioned organizations and there is people with watery diarrhea who cannot reach health centers mostly are rural nomadic populations who have no the capacity to reach health centers. Some of sick people resort to purchase medicines from private pharmacies, traditional healer and others seek medical attention when their conditions have deteriorated.

The main underlying causes of AWD in the district are lack of safe drinking water, poor access to health services and also poor environmental sanitation.

Majority of the h/holds is relying on unprotected water sources, water catchments, shallow wells and pit wells in the Urugey Stream using during the dry season..

Water from these sources is prone to contamination and also households do not have access sanitary facilities and people use the bushes for disposal human waste.

In other hand public health facilities are very limited hence inaccessible to the majority of rural population and lack of humanitarian actors in the ground is deteriorating the situation.

Between 29 january 2009, and April 2009, cases of AWD were reported from Bur-hakaba including 32 related-deaths are 485 cases for both male and female

Conclusion

Burhakaba is the largest district amongst the five districts of Bay Region, it covers an area

26,000km square continued humanitarian crises in large parts of rural population in Burhakaba don't have access the most essential health services.

Therefore ,the situation is worsening day after day people are dying simple curable diseases associated to water problem, if intervention is not coordinated urgently the circumstances will go far worse.

Recommendation

Green Hope recommends urgent intervention efforts to reduce the risk of emergency health problems giving priority the following:

•  Improving water & Environmental sanitation and hygiene promotion

•  Delivery of life saving medical services through mobile outreach to drought affected populations.