Ketsana victims in Attapeu still waiting for aid

Some victims of tropical storm Ketsana in the southern province of Attapeu appear to have been neglected by aid efforts and are now facing chronic food shortages.

The storm hit the three provinces of Xekong, Attapeu and Saravan late last year, displacing many families and wreaking havoc on agriculture.

Money, rice and equipment have been delivered to families in these provinces, but some families in Attapeu still lack even basic amenities.

While the government, NGOs, private companies and individuals have worked to rebuild the affected areas and donated emergency supplies, food shortages Attapeu continue to hamper efforts.

According to the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare, more than 3 billion kip of government funding has been directed towards the affected regions, along with a further 2 billion kip worth of equipment.

The World Bank will also provide aid worth US$13 million (more than 110 billion kip) to assist with recovery efforts in the southern provinces.

Reports from Attapeu indicate that the province has received 50 billion kip in government and foreign aid to help displaced families and 2 billion kip worth of equipment to use in recovery efforts.

But nearly six months after the storm, families in Attapeu are still waiting for rice and equipment.

During a media visit last month, one government official from Thahin village told the Vientiane Times that his family had received only 2 kilograms of rice and one shovel since the storm hit the village.

There were another 200 families in his village still waiting for rice, and only some had received mosquito nets and blankets.

Many of the villagers had lost their crops in the storm, and are now facing a chronic rice shortage.

Most had made more than one submission to the village head seeking assistance, but are still waiting for a response from aid workers.

“There have been some communication mix-ups between villages that were flooded and those that weren’t, and this has made it difficult for the village head to process the submissions,” the official said.

The villagers are now being forced to share what little resources they have until further aid arrives.

Source: Vientiane Times
By Phonesavanh Sangsomboun
March 12, 2010