Situation Report from Oxfam South America: Flooding in Lake Titicaca Basin, Peru
High rainfall since the end of 2000 has led to serious flooding in southeast Peru, where Lake Titicaca has risen to more than 1.5 meters above emergency levels.
Rain and hail intensified in January, February and March, causing the lake to rise to over 1.5 metres above emergency levels. The River Ilave burst its banks on 20th February, and the other rivers have gradually overflowed, effectively leaving 200,000 people in up to a metre of water, of whom over 28,000 have totally lost their homes, crops, animals, and pasture land. On 10th March the department of Puno was declared a State of Emergency by the Peru Government. It continues to rain and hail in Puno and waters have not yet begun to subside as the natural drainage area of the lake across the border in Bolivia is also flooded. The SENAMHI (National Meteorological and Hydrological Service) forecasts continued intense rains into April and predicts that Lake Titicaca will rise a further 50cm to a total of 2m above danger levels, causing wider flooding.
The affected population are very poor Aymara and Quechua indigenous communities, whose livelihoods depend on cultivating small plots of land (some as small as 0.2 hectares; [1 hectare= 2.47 acres]) and rearing a few domestic animals such as cattle, sheep, pigs, and guinea pigs. The current flooding has pushed those affected beyond their traditional coping strategies due to the occurrence of simultaneous events: abnormally intense flooding of the area's lake and rivers, torrential rain and hailstorms in the highlands. These events also coincide with the traditional "hungry season".
In addition, the state response has been weak. Following the fall of President Fujimori's regime in November 2000, Peru has been operating at national and regional levels under a temporary government with limited capacity and resources, whose principal task is to prepare the country for fair Presidential elections in April 2001. These authorities are thus unprepared for an emergency response. Peru is facing a national recession, with huge debts and no monetary reserves. Cuts in all national budgets have been made by the temporary government, thus leaving regional and local governments in Puno with insufficient capacity to address the needs created by this emergency.
Three small camps; for 2,130, 725 and 400 people, have been created in Pilcuyo and Ilave Districts, but conditions are inadequate in terms of overcrowding, lack of water and sanitation facilities and extremely poor and insufficient shelter materials. Most other people are reluctant to leave their homes, though the relocation of some groups will become absolutely necessary in the coming days.
Oxfam initially aims to address the public health risks created by the collapse of water and sanitation systems. It will significantly reduce such risks through the rehabilitation and adaptation of these systems and the promotion of safe hygienic behaviour and practices. Both of these components will involve community training in the technical and health aspects and strong community participation to promote ownership and learning. They will also be carried out in close coordination with the Ministry of Health and the local authorities.
Oxfam's response will:
Ensure the provision of clean water from source to household level during the emergency period for up to 10,000 people and rehabilitate/improve water systems used prior to the flooding
Provide sanitation facilities which are technically and socially appropriate for use during the current conditions of flooding and post-emergency for up to 8,000 people
Promote hygienic practices associated with the safe management of water and sanitation among 10,000 people
Provide/improve temporary shelter for up to 4,000 people through the provision of emergency plastic sheeting.
Oxfam's program will directly benefit up to 10,000 people in the Provinces of Puno and Collao. It is estimated that of these beneficiaries, 65% are children/young people, 20% are adult women and 15% are adult men. The beneficiaries will include both Aymara and Quechua indigenous groups.
The program will indirectly benefit up to 200,000 people through advocacy, hygiene promotion through radio broadcasts, and training/support for the Ministry of Health.
The program has a budget of nearly US$200,000 that includes water and sanitation material and equipment, shelter materials, health promotion materials and workshops, staff costs, and support and internal evaluation.
Oxfam will contribute US$10,000 to the emergency program budget and will also support the purchase of fodder for livestock and veterinary products with US$15,000 through its partner organization ADRA. Oxfam Great Britain has designed the proposal for humanitarian intervention and assumes operational responsibilities for the emergency program and the emergency program budget. Intermon Oxfam has offered US$10,000 to support the emergency program budget and another US$10,000 through its partner organization CPU that will be used in projects of sanitation and cleaning contaminated wells.
As Oxfam does not have a long-term development program in Puno, strategic alliances are being created with CARE and ADRA, both of whom have an established presence in the area but who do not have sufficient resources/expertise to respond to all the humanitarian needs created by the floods. Oxfam's public health response will both support and be supported by their interventions to form part of a more integrated approach.
For preparedness activities Oxfam will work with a current partner, PREDES (Centro de Estudios para la Prevencion y Atencion en Desastres), whose staff also participated in Oxfam's floods assessment.