The floodwaters in Somalia have receded slightly in most affected areas in the southern part of the country and there have been only sporadic rains in the last few days. However, the situation in Hiran, Lower and Middle Shebele, Lower and Middle Juba, and Gedo remains extremely serious.

Since the beginning of the floods in November 2006, over 400,000 people have been helped by the ICRC.

The situation

Hundreds of thousands of people across the country are still unable to return to their homes, especially along the Juba and Shebele rivers, after torrential rains led to the worst floods in Somalia in over a decade. In addition, the disaster has damaged the nation's limited infrastructure, destroyed farmland and drastically reduced harvests. Entire villages have been cut off from the outside world and people up and down the country have had to flee to higher ground.

One of the main concerns remains the lack of drinking water. Many of the people displaced are drinking floodwater and using it to cook despite the obvious health risks.

Vast tracts of farmland remain under water. Most of the crops that should have been harvested in December and January have been destroyed, which threatens the food security of a population whose mainstay is subsistence farming and keeping small herds of animals.

Although the waters are slowly subsiding, many villages remain flooded and it will take weeks before all displaced people can return to their homes. The remaining floodwater and the muddy ground in places where it has receded mean that reconstruction is impossible at this stage. To make matters worse, wells now need to be cleaned and repaired.

Access to the disaster area

Access to the people affected is still extremely difficult. As the water level drops, it is no longer possible in some areas to deliver aid by boat. The roads are covered with thick layers of mud and remain impassable for trucks. The ICRC is therefore sometimes using tractors and donkey carts. In still-flooded areas, motorboats are used. Aid is being flown into Somalia by ICRC aircraft, which have so far made 56 flights out of Nairobi.

ICRC response

The ICRC is one of the very few organizations able to reach some of the most seriously affected people in isolated areas. It is coming to their aid in close partnership with the Somali Red Crescent Society and other components of the international Red Cross and Red Crescent movement such as the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Over 400 volunteers from the Somali Red Crescent are taking part.

Since 15 November last, the ICRC has responded to the flooding as follows:

· distributed tarpaulins (one per family) to 54,510 families (327,060 people) in Middle and Lower Shebele, Middle and Lower Juba, Gedo and Hiran
· distributed blankets (two per family) to 38,562 families (231,372 people) in Middle and Lower Shebele, Lower and Middle Juba, and Hiran
· distributed mosquito nets (one per family) to 20,510 families (123,060 people) in Middle and Lower Juba, Bakool and Bay
· delivered a total of 100,000 litres of trucked-in drinking water per day to 45,000 displaced people in Belet Weyne until 14 December (As people began returning to their homes, 20 major wells in the town were cleaned and disinfected.)
· supplied 25,000 people with drinking water in Bardera, where the ICRC cleaned and repaired two water-treatment plants and provided chlorine
· distributed chlorine tablets, buckets and jerrycans to 11,500 persons in Middle and Lower Juba as part of an ongoing operation, while cleaning and disinfecting wells, supplying jerrycans and chlorine, and installing water-supply systems for 29,500 people in villages
· supplied 11,000 doses of oral rehydration salts and soap to 23 Somali Red Crescent clinics
· rescued 550 people by boat in Lower Shebele and taken them to higher ground in Sablaale and Kurtunwaarey.

Since the beginning of the flood operation, 240 tonnes of relief (tarpaulins, blankets, mosquito nets) and 20 tonnes of water-treatment items have been airlifted into the area.

While addressing the flood crisis, the ICRC continues to carry out other activities, as it has done since 1977. These include health programmes and agricultural and livelihood projects.

The ICRC remains extremely concerned about the way that the floods in Somalia are aggravating what over 15 years of internal armed conflict had already made one of the world's most serious situations from a humanitarian viewpoint. The ICRC calls on all parties involved in armed clashes to take every possible precaution when conducting military operations to spare and protect civilians. It also urges the relevant authorities to take all measures needed to ensure that aid workers can move about freely and safely and that their facilities, including hospitals and clinics, are spared from attacks.