DROUGHT BULLETIN MOROTO OCTOBER 2013 FEBRUARY 2013

Transcription

1 DROUGHT BULLETIN MOROTO OCTOBER 2013 FEBRUARY 2013 EWPC (Early Warning Phase Classification) Alert Alarm Emergency Agro- Status: Trend; Stable SECTORS Status: Trend: Stable SECTORS Livestock Livestock Crops Water Livelihoods Alert Crops Water Livelihoods Alert SITUATIONAL OVERVIEW The livestock sector is due to the vaccination exercise carried out within the district against CBPP and the availability of pastures and water for the livestock which improved the livestock body condition. The crop sector is also across the two livelihood zones because of the ongoing harvest, although the harvest this year is lower than the previous year. The water sector is also which is attributed to the increased borehole usage. The livelihood sector is in Alert. This is attributed to the fact that the GAM rate is still high, at 16.2%, as a result of food insecurity and poor health seeking behavior within the communities. Overall, the drought risk is low. This is because the meteorological department predicts that normal rains are expected to continue up to the end of the second week of November, thereafter uneven light rains are expected to set in and continue up to the end of November 2013 for the districts of Napak, Abim and Moroto. For recommendations, please refer to page 2. The data presented in this Drought Bulletin was collected in Nadunget, Rupa, Katikekile, Tapac and South Division Sub-counties.

2 LIVESTOCK CROPS WATER LIVELIHOOD VULNERABILITY STAGE* PASTORAL Body condition Livestock Migration Disease incidence Alert Access to pasture Animal in the market Sorghum planted Germination N/A Plant Color Pests & diseases Crop Yield Alert ) Water fetched Borehole usage Alert Time to fetch Alert Alert Malnutrition Emergency Price of firewood Price of charcoal Price of labor Alert Price of bull Sorghum price Alarm Animal Market Movement ANALYSIS OF SECTORS PER LIVELIHOOD ZONE AGRO-PASTORAL Body condition Livestock Migration Disease incidence Alert Access to pasture Animal in the market Sorghum planted Germination N/A Plant Color Pests & diseases Crop Yield Alert Water fetched Borehole usage Alert Time to fetch Alert Malnutrition Emergency Price of firewood Price of charcoal Price of labor Alert Price of bull Price of sorghum Alarm Animal Market Movement The livestock sector is NORMAL. This is attributed to the availability of water and pastures for the livestock (see NDVI map page 3). The district has also trained animal health workers within the communities to handle minor veterinary services. This reduced the disease load in the district and making the livestock body condition normal. Recommendations: -Communities are advised not to consume raw animal products (milk). -Community animal workers should be equipped with veterinary kits. -Mass vaccination of animals in the district as the dry season approaches and animals are mobile. -ists are advised to isolate sick animals from healthy animals The crop sector is NORMAL. Farmers are harvesting their crops including sorghum, maize, pumpkins, sunflower and beans. However, in low land areas of Rupa, crops were affected by water logging which led to pests and diseases therefore lowering the quantity and quality of harvest. Recommendations: -Farmers are advised to construct good storage facilities to avoid post harvest losses since the harvest is low. The water sector is NORMAL. Households are accessing adequate water for both livestock and home consumption and this trend is expected to continue since most of the boreholes in the district are in proper working condition. The district also plans to drill 6 more new boreholes and ASB plans to drill 2 more new boreholes. Water quality testing is also being done by C&D together with the district to determine the quality of water being used. Recommendations: -Communities are advised to maintain the newly drilled boreholes when they have been handed over to them -Pump mechanics should be trained to handle minor rehabilitation in case of breakdown The livelihood sector remained in ALERT. This is attributed to the fact that the GAM rate is still high at 16.2%, as a result of food insecurity and poor health seeking behavior within the communities. However, a therapeutic feeding program has been put in place to address the situation. Recommendations: -Children under five years of age should be screened at the health centers. -Need to strengthen surveillance information. -Food aid should be provided to extremely vulnerable individuals mainly in Naduget and Rupa Subcounties. The vulnerability stage is. This is because the availability of water and pasture remained higher as compared to the normal trend during this time of the year DROUGHT RISK The drought risk is LOW. All districts in Karamoja region are currently experiencing near normal rains which are expected to continue up to the end of second week of November, thereafter uneven light rains are expected to set in and continue up to the end of November 2013 for the districts of Napak, Abim and Moroto. (*) Vulnerability Stage is the combination of the 4 sectors gages (livestock, crop, water and livelihood). The vulnerability stage, combined with the risk of drought, gives the global warning stage as presented on page 1.

3 Vegetation Condition The vegetation condition, as seen above, shows greener pastures. This is attributed to the wet spelt experienced throughout the month (see weather forecast page 4) favoring the growth of pastures and providing enough water for the livestock. This improved the body condition of the livestock (see page 5). There were minimal cases of leaf shading as a result of the windy conditions. Communities are advised not to burn the drying pastures to avoid shortages during the dry spell. Source: District Natural Resource Office

4 Rainfall 71mm of rain is estimated to have fallen in Moroto in October This is higher than the amount of rain received last month. This amount of rain received throughout the month favoured the growth of pastures (see NDVI map on page 3). The availability of pastures and water for livestock improved the body condition of the animals (see page 5). However, the rainfall also damaged the road net work within the district by making the roads muddy and slippery. Source: FEWSNET Weather Forecast Seasonal rainfall forecast for Karamoja November-December 2013 All districts in Karamoja region are currently experiencing near normal rains which are expected to continue up to the end of second week of November, thereafter uneven light rains are expected to set in and continue up to the end of November 2013 for the districts of Napak, Abim and Moroto. However, the districts of Nakapiripirit and Amudat are expected to continue receiving light rains up to mid December There is a high chance that Kotido and Kaabong districts are will receive near normal to below normal rains from the third week of November 2013, up to the end of the forecast period. It should be noted that the Department of Meteorology will continue to monitor weather conditions and informs the users accordingly. Source: Department of Meteorology, Ministry of Water and Environment.

5 Livestock Body Condition Agro- The livestock body condition was normal during the month of October This is attributed to the abundant pasture and water as seen in the NDVI map (see page 3). The straws from the harvested crops also help as a food supplement for livestock. However, the percentage of animals in good body condition reduced from 90% last month, to 81% this month. This is due to incidences of disease. Farmers are advised to de-worm and spray their livestock regularly. Source: District Veterinary Office Livestock Migration There were no cases of livestock migration reported during the month. This was attributed to the rainfall received throughout the month making water and pastures available for livestock in nearby grazing land. This limited movement for search of pastures and water and which in return improved the livestock body condition. The limited movement also reduced the abortion rate because of reduced stress. However, migrations to designated grazing areas were expected to start in December Source: District Veterinary Office

6 Livestock Disease Prevalence Livelihood Location Disease Type of animals No. of animals affected Zone affected All All sub-counties Pneumonia Cattle and Shoats 2000 All All sub-counties Anaplasmosis Cattle 3600 All All sub-counties Babesiosis Cattle 1500 All All sub-counties East Coast Fever Cattle 2100 All All sub-counties Worm infections All Not ascertained All All sub-counties CBPP Cattle 2400 All All sub-counties PPR Shoats 1800 Type and number of animals in market Livelihood Zone Number of Bulls Number of Cows Number Bull Calves Number of Heifers and Agro-pastoral The diseases reported this month were mainly worms and ticks. Endemic diseases such as CCPP and CBPP were also prevalent. Worm infestations were reported on a large scale across all the Sub-counties of the district putting the disease incidence on Alert. However, vaccination is ongoing throughout the district against CBPP. The offer for bulls in the market is on the rise. The offer for cows is also increasing, however, mainly for the old, sick and non-productive animals. This trend is expected to remain stable because farmers have harvested their fresh foods and there is no need to sell their livestock. Communities are advised to take their livestock for vaccination. Source: District Veterinary Office Access to Grazing (time, Hrs.) Agro- The time taken to access grazing land was generally normal at about 1 to 2 hours. This was attributed to the constant rain received throughout the month as seen in the weather forecast (see page 5) favoring the growth of pastures. The straws from the harvested plants are also available around the homestead for the animals hence limiting movement to far grazing lands and improving the livestock body condition as seen on page 5.

7 Type of crops planted Agro- Varieties of crops were planted this season. Mainly maize, sorghum, beans and sunflower were dominant. These are mainly food crops that would improve the food security situation within the district. However, the earlier planted crops were destroyed by the dry spell. Many planted crops are already harvested and the harvest was good although lower than the previous year s harvest. Farmers are advised to plant short maturing crops like pulses and vegetables. Source: District Agricultural Office Crop Condition Agro- The crop condition was not ascertained. However, many crops have already been harvested. Crop Yield Below average harvests were reaped from the Sub-counties of Naduget, Tapac and Rupa. This is attributed to the erratic rains Moroto received at the beginning of this season and the low acreage of land opened. Source: District Agricultural Office

8 Quantity of Water Fetched Daily (per household, Litres) Livelihood Zone September 2013 October Agro The month registered an increase in the quantity of water fetched daily. This is because of the reduction in the garden work since the harvest season is coming to an end and the availability of various water sources. Type of water sources and time spent fetching (in Hrs) Agro- Borehole usage remained across the two livelihood zones. This is attributed to the functional water user committees who have been trained on how to manage the water source by the district and development partners (C&D, Red Cross, ISP and UNICEF). Pans and dams were considered an alternative source of water serving 15 to 19 percent of the population mainly on the hilly areas of Tapac where borehole construction is very difficult. Source: District Water Office

9 Type of food eaten Agro- The month registered a variety of foods consumed by households. Beans, Sorghum and wild fruits were the most consumed. The variety of food eaten is because of the ongoing harvest which started in September and is expected to end in November. Additionally, improvements to the road network has enable sellers to bring food items from neighboring districts (Mbale, Soroti and Katakwi). Prevalence of Malnutrition The GAM rate is at 16.2%. Naduget and Rupa Sub-counties had the highest number of malnourished children. Such occurrence was attributed to the poor food security situation and poor health-seeking behavior amongst communities. Nevertheless, some positive changes are expected to occur since most farmers are harvesting their crops and also in the health centers they are giving treatment with the support from UNICEF, WFP, Concern and AFC. Sources: District Health Office Out-migration of people Livelihood Zone September 2013 October Agro- 0 0 There were no cases of out migration of people during the month. This is attributed to the availability of water and pastures for both animals and humans. This situation is expected to change as the dry season approaches especially for those who are in Rupa and Tapac, where most water points have started drying out.

10 Market Prices (Charcoal, Firewood, Bull, Sorghum, Labour) Charcoal and firewood price The decrease in the price of both charcoal and firewood is attributed to the high supply of firewood in the market. Manyattas are being reconstructed so the old poles are being replaced with new ones, and the old ones have been taken for sale, flooding the market with firewood and low price. Bull price The increase in the price of bull is attributed to the general reduction in the number of livestock within the district as a result high sale of livestock caused by food shortage making communities to take irreversible copying mechanism. Sorghum price The price of sorghum decreased. This is attributed to the ongoing harvest and the supply of grains from other regions like Teso and Lango. Labour price The price of labour decreased. This is attributed to the reduction in agricultural activities. The communities have few things to do making the labour supply higher than labour demand in the market but this is normal at this time of year. Source: District Commercial Office

11 Terms of Trade (ratios) The Terms of Trade between bull to sorghum increase drastically. This is attributed to the decrease in the price of sorghum as a result of the recent harvest. Additionally, bull prices have also increased because of high demand from external buyers (South Sudan). This is higher than the Terms of Trade between bull and sorghum of the same time last year. The decrease in the Terms of Trade between labour to sorghum is attributed to the reduction in the need for labour. This is higher than the Terms of Trade between Labour and sorghum in October The decrease in the Terms of Trade between charcoal and sorghum is a result of the reduction in the price of charcoal. This is lower than the Terms of Trade between charcoal and sorghum in October 2012.

12 Freedom of Movement DAY TIME Agro- DAY TIME NIGHT TIME NIGHT TIME The security situation remained as reported by the local authorities across the two livelihood zones. This is because of relatively stable peace in the region as a result of disarmament. However, freedom of movement was reported to be higher in the pastoral zone than the agro-pastoral zone. Communities are advised to report any suspicion to the local council authorities or police for early action. Seasonal Calendars