Decayed Infrastructure Prevents Aid Distribution

JOHANNESBURG - Feb 13/04 - IRIN -- About 1.2 million needy Angolans are cut off from humanitarian aid because of damaged transport infrastructure and the ever-present threat of landmines, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in its latest situation report.

OCHA noted that several NGOs had been forced to temporarily suspend their operations or withdraw staff from locations, due to access problems.

In the northern Malanje province, a local NGO, ADRA, had to cancel all operations in Quela municipality, while the World Food Program (WFP) distributed food to less than half the planned 104,000 beneficiaries because of poor road conditions in January.

Although agricultural inputs continued to arrive in several provinces, some seeds were not suitable for planting in the second agricultural season, OCHA reported.

WFP said on Friday that a government delay in the payment of port clearance charges had blocked the pulses pipeline in Angola.

Until payment is made, the UN food agency will be unable to remove a total of 4,210 metric tons (MT) of various commodities from the Luanda and Lobito ports, including pulses and vegetable oil. Shortages seriously curtailed distributions nationwide in December and January, and the pulses are urgently needed for provincial deployment.

Breaks in the food aid pipeline and limited access to parts of the country last month forced WFP to reduce the rations for 1.6 million of its vulnerable beneficiaries. It was also unable to pre-position stocks in areas cut off by heavy rains.

The central provinces were badly affected, particularly Huambo and Bengeula, where crops were reportedly destroyed by rain. The latest Vulnerability Analysis indicated that the largest concentrations of food insecure people were also found in these areas.

"For many returnees, the destruction of what would have been their first harvest since resettlement would have a devastating effect on their food security situation," WFP said in its latest situation update.

Humanitarian agencies were concerned over the increase in admissions to feeding centers, but OCHA said this was "typical" for this time of the year, when an upsurge in cases of malaria and diarrhea due to the rainy season could lead to malnutrition.

There was also concern by humanitarian partners in Huambo over the management of nutritional centers handed over to government by the NGOs. In Bailundo, food destined for the nutritional center was diverted to the provincial hospital, and OCHA said irregularities had been noted in the management of nutrition centers in Katchiungo and Tchicala Tcholohanga as well.

According to OCHA, aid partners were pressing the provincial health ministry to correct these irregularities, "as food and other humanitarian supplies could be cut off if more transparency in management was not demonstrated".

Copyright (c) 2004 UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

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