PAPUA NEW GUINEA. Manam Island Volcano - Madang Needs assessment briefing note September 2018

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PAPUA NEW GUINEA Manam Island Vlcan - Madang Needs assessment briefing nte September 2018 Manam Vlcan, n an island ff the cast f Madang prvince in nrthern Papua New Guinea, erupted early in the

As f 28 August, tw f these villages, Dangale (239 peple) and Klang (143 peple), have been evacuated t unaffected lcatins n the island. Manam is ne f PNG s mst active vlcanes.

Unreslved issues arund their resettlement frm the 2004 displacement make peple wh have already experienced displacement and chsen t return reluctant t leave the island and g back t living in care

1 PAPUA NEW GUINEA Manam Island Vlcan - Madang Needs assessment briefing nte September 2018 Manam Vlcan, n an island ff the cast f Madang prvince in nrthern Papua New Guinea, erupted early in the mrning f 25 August. Lava and ash are affecting nine f 13 villages n the island, which has a ppulatin f abut 7,000 peple. As f 28 August, tw f these villages, Dangale (239 peple) and Klang (143 peple), have been evacuated t unaffected lcatins n the island. Manam is ne f PNG s mst active vlcanes. In 2004, a series f eruptins resulted in the evacuatin f mre than 9,000 peple t care centres n the mainland. Unreslved issues arund their resettlement frm the 2004 displacement make peple wh have already experienced displacement and chsen t return reluctant t leave the island and g back t living in care centres n the mainland. The vlcan is active and cntinues t emit light t mderate ash. Further significant eruptins are pssible. Accurate mnitring f the vlcan is nt pssible at the mment because the equipment f the Rabaul Vlcanlgical Observatry is underging maintenance. Heavy ash fall has als affected nearby Bisa Island, hme t 872 peple. Affected Villages Ppulatin Husehlds Situatin Klang Cmpletely destryed and nw residing at Madauri village Dangale Cmpletely destryed and nw residing at Zgari village Iassa Heavy ash affecting fd gardens and vegetatin. Kuluguma Bda Baliau 2, Bkure Warisi Abaria Ttal fr Manam Bisa Ttal (Manam + Bisa) 5,808 1,359 Humanitarian cnstraints Manam island is nly accessible by small surface vessels. It is a 45 min bat ride frm Bgia district n the mainland which can take mre than fur hurs t reach by vehicle frm Madang Twn depending n rad cnditins. Weather cnditins affect the sea crssing. Assessment team NDC Andrew Oaeg, Thmas Ninkama, Madang Prvincial Administratin - Rudlf Mngallee UNDP Mary Jr Knb Limitatins This assessment was cnducted using NDC s recently revised assessment tls. It is the first assessment that NDC has carried ut using these tls. A ppulatin breakdwn f the island by gender and age is nt available. Cnditins in Klang and Dangale prevented the assessment team frm safely visiting these lcatins. Sme visual assessment culd be made frm the bat. This shrt nte has been supprted by ACAPS. Hwever, n ACAPS team member was part f the assessment team n the grund. Any questin? Please cntact Andrew Oaeg aeaeg@gmail.cm / Mary Knb mary.knb@und.rg

2 ACAPS Needs Assessment Briefing Nte: Manam Island Vlcan, PNG Summary f key cncerns, risks and needs Residents f the tw mst-affected villages, Knlang and Dangale, are unable t return t their hmes. It is unknwn when return will be pssible. They are nw living in hst cmmunities. The interagency assessment identified the fllwing pririty needs fr the 164 displaced husehlds: Immediate temprary shelter Husehld items (cking utensils, msquit nets, blankets, clthing) Lighting In additin, the team identified the fllwing needs fr all affected cmmunities n the island: Medical care Fd Clean drinking water Fuel fr bats belnging t lcal villagers supprting the respnse The island s elementary and primary schls are nt functining. Healthcare is unavailable and health cmplaints linked t the eruptin have been reprted. There is n lighting arund the settlements, which causes insecurity. Cmmunities n Manam have indicated their reluctance t be evacuated t the mainland because f nging prblems fr peple evacuated in the past. Many peple wh relcated in 2004 have yet t be prvided with a durable slutin t their resettlement. Methdlgy An inter-agency assessment team led by the Natinal Disaster Centre, using agreed NDC infrmatin-cllectin methds, cnducted this rapid needs assessment. The assessment tk place in tw hst cmmunity sites (Madauri and Zgari) where residents f tw f the mst severely affected villages, Klang and Dangale, have been evacuated. Separate male and female cmmunity grup discussins tk place at each lcatin, in additin t key infrmant interviews and direct bservatins f the assessment team. The team spent ne day (less than 24 hurs) n the island n 28 August. This nte presents the findings f this assessment missin and includes secndary data where pssible. Crisis impact and backgrund Manam is ne f the mst active vlcanes in PNG. The island is 10km wide and rughly 15km frm the mainland in the Madang prvince. The mst recent eruptin ccurred at abut 6:00 am n Saturday, 25 August, emitting lava, thick mud and ash that affected many villages and frced tw villages t relcate t unaffected areas n the island. N lives were lst, but many huses and fd gardens have been destryed. Since the vlcanic activity in 2004, mst f Manam s riginal residents cntinue t live n the mainland in care centres waiting t be resettled by the gvernment. Sme had returned t the island vluntarily and have again been affected by the active vlcan. Althugh recent ppulatin figures fr the island are nt available, the gvernment estimates that mre than 7,000 peple, including the ppulatin f Manam and the smaller neighburing island f Bisa, have been affected. The difference in the impact n Dangale and Klang cmpared t the ther affected villages was that they were destryed by lava flw. Heavy ash, thick mud and lava have als caused extensive damage t vegetatin and fd gardens and cntaminated water surces in several parts f the island. Fd Peple living n Manam were largely self-sufficient in terms f fd prductin. They maintained gardens f vegetables and rt crps, kept chickens and fished. N markets were bserved by the assessment team n the island and peple ccasinally travelled t the Bgia district administrative centre n the mainland t buy fd and ther items. Majr damage has been reprted t gardens and plantatins, fr bth cash crps and fd prduced fr subsistence, and it appears that next seasn s harvest will nt be pssible. Sme fd relief has been delivered t the island; this cnsists f rice, flur, tinned fish and cking il. These supplies, cmbined with the fd stck being shared by the hst cmmunities, shuld be able t last fr tw t fur weeks. The cmmunity reprts that it mstly needs fresh fd, including fruits and vegetables, and prtein such as eggs, meat, fish and chicken. 2

3 ACAPS Needs Assessment Briefing Nte: Manam Island Vlcan, PNG Fishing can cntinue n the island. Hwever, it is uncertain whether peple evacuated frm Dangale and Klang still have fishing equipment, as mst f their husehld pssessins were lst alng with their huses. Wmen frm bth Dangale and Klang reprted multiple fd-related cncerns. They say fd supplies are inadequate, that the fd they can access is nt what they usually eat, they lack cking equipment and utensils (stves, pts, etc.) and they are unable t grw their wn fd as they usually wuld. While they reprt nt having any mney t purchase extra fd, they als say marketing ptins n the island are limited and that distance and travel csts make ging t the market n the mainland difficult. Bth cmmunities are already reprting negative cping strategies, such as eating smaller meals and eating less preferred fds. Sme husehld members have left the area in search f wrk. WASH: Everyne n the island uses bre water wells fr their water needs drinking, cking and washing. There are cncerns abut the quality f the drinking water and n water treatment is emplyed. While it is clear that sme water surces have been buried r cntaminated by ash and lava frm the vlcan, in sme cases the water surces may be unaffected, but peple fear cntaminatin and diarrhea is reprted as a health cncern. Water quality was a pre-existing cncern n the island. Male and female cmmunity grups reprt multiple prblems in relatin t water: Nt enugh water Nt enugh water strage cntainers Nt enugh water cllectin vessels Pr water quality Accessing enugh water fr bathing and washing The tw female cmmunity grups als said it tk t lng t cllect water (30-60 minutes in Dangale and mre than an hur in Klang), this is the same time it tk t cllect water befre the evacuatin. The NDC assessment team bserved that fresh ccnuts were available as an alternative surce f drinking liquid. Key infrmants reprt the need t cart water t the site t ensure a better supply f safe water fr drinking. T date IOM has dnated L water cntainers as well as drinking water. This will be an expensive slutin in the lnger term, hwever, because clean water must be transprted by bat frm the mainland. Husehlds n the island usually have their wn pit latrine, with pen defecatin als reprted by bth male and female grups. In the current situatin, the displaced peple share the latrines f the cmmunities where they are staying. Male and female cmmunity grups all reprt prblems with being able t use tilets at the current lcatin. They reprt: Insufficient number f tilets (s the waiting time t use them is t lng) Cncerns abut the lack f separate tilets fr men and wmen (when sharing with strangers) Lack f lighting and the difficulty fr children and the disabled t use the tilets Slid waste dispsal: N cncerns were reprted in relatin t waste dispsal. Health: N health services are available n the island and n medical services have been prvided t evacuees t date. The island has nly ne health facility, a health centre in Bda village. The assessment team did nt visit this facility, but it was reprtedly nt functining. Peple must travel t the mainland, apprximately a tw-hur jurney, t access healthcare. Peple reprt diarrhea, fever, cughing and sre eyes as their main health prblems. Shelter: Peple frm Klang and Dangale are nw residing in the hst cmmunities f Madauri and Zgari. Their living arrangements are a cmbinatin f staying in the hmes f hst families r in tents in the yards f hst families r in resting huts. Living cnditins are vercrwded, with minimal privacy and inadequate prtectin frm the elements. Althugh the current living arrangements appear t have been rganised fairly rganically, lcal authrities are beginning t refer them as temprary care centres. This indicates recgnitin that the evacuees and ptentially the hst cmmunities will require cntinued external supprt. The hsting lcatins are abut 45 minutes by utbard-pwered bat frm the hme villages. They are 2-3 hurs walk frm Bieng Missin (near Bda village), where the schls and health centre are lcated (nne f these are currently functining). The hst lcatins lack sufficient lighting and privacy fr the evacuees t feel safe, and they ffer inadequate prtectin frm the elements. Mre than half f the residents f the hst cmmunities have evacuees staying with them (either inside their hmes r in tents n their grunds). Female cmmunity grups reprt that their main needs in relatin t shelter and living cnditins are basic husehld items and immediate shelter materials such as tarpaulins 3

4 ACAPS Needs Assessment Briefing Nte: Manam Island Vlcan, PNG and tents. Men add t this list that husing shuld be mre private and give greater prtectin frm the elements. Educatin: There is ne elementary and ne primary schl n the island, lcated in Bieng Missin near Bda village; classes have been suspended indefinitely, hwever. Children all ver the island attended these schls and nw have n access t educatin. Infrmally, it has been reprted that teachers fled the island after the eruptin due t fear. This means they are nt available even if temprary learning spaces are set up. There are n reprts f damage t the schls r learning materials at the schls (this wuld need t be cnfirmed by a site visit r frm direct reprts). Hwever, it culd be assumed that any schl bks, unifrms r equipment belnging t children frm Dangale and Klang wuld have been destryed alng with the huses and ther pssessins. Livelihds: Befre the evacuatin, wmen spent mst f their time cllecting water and firewd, preparing and cking fd, wrking in gardens and plantatins, and caring fr children. Men spent mst f their time wrking in gardens and plantatins, cultivating cash crps and fishing. Since the disaster, the men and wmen wh can be seen are mstly sitting arund ding nthing, with wmen taking care f children. The assessment team reprted nt seeing many men r wmen, and it was assumed that they were mstly resting in their huts r preparing fr the evening. Majr damage is reprted t gardens in Dangale and Klang. Peple frm these cmmunities cannt wrk in their gardens because f the damage caused by the ash fall. Sme peple, usually yung men, have returned t their villages and gardens t see if they can retrieve anything. Because the cmmunities relied largely n subsistence livelihd activities and these were clsely linked t their gardens and hmes, almst all such activities have stpped because f the displacement. Sme fishing cntinues, but in general, cmmunity grups reprt that the eruptin and subsequent evacuatin hampered the livelihds f all f the peple. They reprt nt knwing at this stage when they will be able t resume nrmal livelihd activities. Nutritin and care f yung children: Wmen s CGDs reprt a decrease in breastfeeding children under the age f 2 fllwing the eruptin. A lack f safe space is reprted as an bstacle t the prper care f yung children. Assessment teams explained that there was a real sense f vercrwding in the areas where the evacuees are staying and a sense that wmen felt vulnerable in the unfamiliar lcatin. Prtectin: As already nted, the current living arrangements are vercrwded and ffer limited privacy. This is cnsidered as a ptential factr that culd increase gender-based vilence and child-prtectin cncerns. The assessment team als nted the ptential fr tensin and cnflict between the hst cmmunities and the displaced ppulatin wh are sharing their space, water and sanitatin facilities and, in sme cases, their hmes. Mre infrmatin is needed t understand the scial structures n the island, but it is thught that chieftainship predminates. Under this structure, ne r mre supreme chiefs wuld versee multiple villages, and chiefs under them wuld lead individual clans. Limited infrmatin is available abut land wnership n the island. The Papua New Guinea Defence Frce (PNGDF) is patrlling the island t maintain security and the prvincial plice frce was present when relief items were distributed. The PNGDF, the village chiefs and elders maintain law and rder. There have been n reprts f missing children r children nt with their usual caregivers. The cmmunity grups frm Klang said they did nt knw if children had been sent away since the disaster r if vilence twards children r vilence in general had increased. Key infrmants reprt that the nging vlcanic activity impedes peple s mvement n the island. Althugh they mentined inter-cmmunal tensins during previus evacuatins t the mainland, these have nt been nt reprted in the current situatin. Humanitarian and peratinal cnstraints The lcatin f the island will affect the timely delivery f humanitarian aid. Lgistics must accunt fr the weather cnditins, as the island can nly be accessed using small bats with utbard mtrs, which are vulnerable t rugh seas. This limits the vlume f supplies that can be taken t the island at any ne time. There are n rads r vehicles n Manam Island, s any supplies must be carried frm the bats t their destinatins. Helicpter access t the island is pssible and the Australian Defence Frce made a helicpter available t the respnse fr six days as f 29 August. This was largely used fr aerial assessments and senir gvernment fficials visits. The use f helicpters is cnstrained by the presence f ash in the air, which is risky fr aircraft safety. Onging vlcanic activity adds t the sense f uncertainty. The assessment team was unable t visit the villages f Dangale and Klang because f safety cncerns. As nted earlier in this reprt, this rund f vlcanic activity has affected nine villages. Only Dangale and Klang have been evacuated s far, but further evacuatins cannt be ruled ut. The peple clearly prefer t remain n the island, but this may nt be pssible if vlcanic activity picks up r if supplies n the island are insufficient and cannt be prvided frm 4

5 ACAPS Needs Assessment Briefing Nte: Manam Island Vlcan, PNG the mainland. The impact f hsting the evacuees shuld als nt be verlked, as the extra ppulatin strains resurces and infrastructure which, as nted, can lead t tensins. Aggravating factrs Lcatin, access and cmmunicatin The island lcatin is an issue. Humanitarian access is cnstrained and dependent n gd weather cnditins. There is mbile phne netwrk cverage n Manam, and peple identify mbile phnes, tgether with wrd f muth and infrmatin frm cmmunity leaders, as the mst cmmn frms f cmmunicatin bth befre and after the eruptin. Mbile phne cmmunicatin is hindered by insufficient electricity t charge the phnes and because sme peple d nt have phnes (presumably lst alng with ther pssessins under ash and lava). Land wnership issues As with ther IDPs in PNG, land wnership issues are the greatest cnstraint t imprving cnditins and finding alternative safe lcatins fr them t live. They are unable t return t their hmes n the island. The cmmunity is unable t resume a similar lifestyle in current cnditins. The Manam situatin is a lng-term cncern that has been highlighted and exacerbated by this recent increase in vlcanic activity. The recurrent challenges faced by the islanders will nly stp when they can be permanently resettled in a new lcatin with unhindered access t land fr hmes and gardens. Displaced cmmunities have indicated their reluctance t be evacuated t the mainland because f cntinual cnflicts with wners f the land n which the care centres have been established. This impacts living cnditins, including access t fd gardens, ccnuts and fish. Until permanent resettlement can ccur, the peple f Manam will be largely dependent n relief. The Prvincial Disaster Crdinatr (PDC) is the appinted prvincial administratin fficial wh is respnsible crdinating the prvincial administratin s disaster respnse effrts. The PDC directly supprts the Prvincial Administratr in his/her rle as the Chair f the Prvincial Disaster Cmmittee. The PDC is expected t crdinate clsely with the NDC t ensure the prvincial and natinal respnses are integrated. The jint inter-agency Disaster Management Team (DMT) cmprising UN agencies, NGOs, FBOs, the Red Crss and the private sectr, is c-chaired by the Directr f the NDC and the UN Resident Crdinatr. It functins as the lcal Humanitarian Cuntry Team t crdinate relief effrts f humanitarian partners. Seven infrmal clusters (WASH, Shelter, Fd Security, Health, Prtectin, Educatin, Nutritin) supprt the wrk f the DMT. Relief assistance has been received at the site. S far, this has included: Fd distributins frm the Madang prvince and Bgia district authrities PNGDF has deplyed trps and a medical team t assist with relief peratins. Water cntainers and drinking water frm IOM The ADF has prvided ne helicpter and crew t supprt relief PNGDF has assigned a patrl bat t remain at the island t assist with mvement f relief items and cmmunicatins. Respnse capacity Lcal and natinal respnse capacity The Natinal Disaster Centre (NDC) is the natinal mandated agency that crdinates assessments and relief peratins fr disasters. 5

6 ACAPS Needs Assessment Briefing Nte: Manam Island Vlcan, PNG Map Surce: Papua New Guinea, Natinal Disaster Centre 6

7 ACAPS Needs Assessment Briefing Nte: Manam Island Vlcan, PNG Phts f Manam Island 7

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