Struggle to help flood victims in Safwan

Aid agencies are struggling to help hundreds of people displaced by severe flooding in the southern city of Safwan, some 45 km southwest of Basra. Heavy rainfall on 11 and 12 January has affected an estimated 90 percent of the city, with rising waters destroying around 85 dwellings. Since then, heavy rains have continued to fall intermittently, hindering local authorities’ efforts at damage control. A number of aid organisations are participating in the relief effort, including the Iraq Red Crescent Society (IRCS), UN refugee agency UNHCR and the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI). According to UNAMI officials, 100 families have been displaced while another 50 remain at risk in the case of continued rainfall. Southern Iraq is currently in its rainy season, and more downpours are expected. Meanwhile, displaced families are living in an improvised "camp" prepared by the IRCS some 20 km north of the city. “Tents, food supplies and blankets have been sent to the area,” said IRCS Spokeswoman Ferdous al-Abadi. “The children especially are suffering in this weather,” al-Abadi said. “At night, the temperature drops to less than zero degrees centigrade.” In response to the emergency, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), in collaboration with the Safwan municipality, has been supplying uprooted residents with drinking water and food parcels. “We’re making every effort to work in partnership with local organisations, both to supply those that have been displaced and guarantee their safety when they return to their homes,” said ICRC Spokeswoman Nada Doumani from Amman. While five heavy-suction vehicles have been brought in to drain flooded areas, one ICRC official conceded that much more work was required to secure the area and make it habitable again. The World Health Organisation is also offering primary health care to residents in an effort to prevent the appearance of diseases associated with flooding, such as cholera and diarrhoea. Rubbish that has accumulated on the streets has blocked the flow of water and compounded the problem. According to al-Abadi, the area must be subject to cleaning and disinfection before families return to prevent the spread of water-borne diseases. Many new houses will also have to be built from scratch. “Families can return after water is drained and the rain diminishes, but most of them are without houses,” said al-Abadi. “Rebuilding must be fast to prevent families with children living in cold tents for a long time.” Ahmed Husseiny, a senior official in the Safwan municipality, noted that infrastructure countrywide was generally in no condition to handle natural disasters like floodwaters.