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| [PHOTO: Freedom House/Mulham Al-Jundi/Flickr/CC BY 2.0] |
Geneva: The UN refugee agency has said that severe winter
conditions across Syria and the surrounding region this past week have brought
new difficulties for hundreds of thousands of refugees and other forcibly
displaced people.
"Even with the winter preparation work that has been
done in recent months, many refugees in both camp and non-camp situations are
facing particularly cold and damp conditions. At the same time, there has been
no let-up in the numbers of people fleeing Syria," UNHCR spokesman Adrian
Edwards told journalists in Geneva. He added that as of Thursday, more than
612,000 people had either been registered in neighbouring countries as refugees
or were being assisted as such.
The first week of 2013 has seen a surge in new arrivals in
Jordan, with an average of more than 1,100 Syrians crossing the border every
day, although with reduced numbers over the past few days amid freezing rain.
"Many of those arriving have been barefoot, with their clothing soaked and
covered in mud and snow," Edwards noted.
Refugees report discarding their belongings to carry their
children through flooded countryside to get to Jordan. For people arriving at
the border, UNHCR managed yesterday to send 1,000 blankets and 500 mattresses
along with emergency clothing. The World Food Programme provided 3,000 welcome
meals.
At Za'atri refugee camp, there was flooding earlier in the
week amid some of the worst weather in Jordan in 20 years. UNHCR managed on
Thursday to deliver several truckloads of gravel to elevate the ground level
and improve drain-off. Culverts were cut through the camp ring road at four
different points to release standing water into creeks surrounding the camp.
This has improved things.
Edwards said health services in Za'atri camp were all
operational, with mobile clinics covering the affected area in the camp,
detecting medical cases in need of transfers to the camp hospital and treating
primary health care patients on the spot.
The spokesman said UNHCR and its partners had relocated
affected Syrians to prefab housing during the past three nights and added that
the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) was placing 45 emergency latrines in the new
prefab modules. The UN refugee agency is also distributing five blankets per
person for new arrivals to Za'atri, in addition to winter clothing. Those whose
belongings were damaged in the flooding are receiving blankets, mattresses and
other non-food items.
For refugees living away from the camp, conditions have also
been difficult. Many are accommodated in shelters with limited heating and
insulation from the freezing conditions, along with a shortage of warm clothing
and blankets. Some 6,000 families are receiving cash assistance.
The government of Jordan estimates that some 280,000 Syrian refugees
have crossed into the country in the past 22 months. More than 176,500 of these
are registered with UNHCR or being assisted by the agency.
In Lebanon, the registered and assisted refugee population
has grown to almost 200,000 people. Over the past week, temperatures have in
general remained above or close to freezing and there has been snow. Flooding
has occurred in a number of tented settlements in the Bekaa Valley, in houses
in Wadi Khaled in the north, and at a warehouse being used to accommodate
refugees further south in Sidon.
"A collective effort in Sidon by UNHCR, the Danish
Refugee Council, the Norwegian Refugee Council, and Caritas Lebanon Migrant
Centre has allowed for draining of the warehouse. In Bekaa and in the Wadi
Khaled we have taken action to deal with the flooding and help affected
refugees in partnership-variously – with Action Contre La Faim, and Premiere
Urgence," Edwards said.
"We're also gearing up provision of assistance with
local municipalities and NGOs. Dry mattresses, bed covers and food vouchers
have been handed out; four Syrian and two Lebanese families have been moved
away from a flooded part of Wadi Khaled; and we are making additional room
available to house people in collective shelters," he added.
UNHCR has also increased distribution of warm blankets,
heaters, fuel vouchers, winter clothing and plastic sheeting. Some 6,700
families have had their homes weather-proofed, and renovation help has been
provided to 5,300 others.
In Turkey, the authorities have carried out significant work
in reinforcing camps against the winter conditions, including creating
platforms for tents, providing heaters, tarpaulins, plastic sheeting, warm
clothing and additional high thermal blankets. To support this, UNHCR has
provided family tents for 83,500 people, blankets for 107,220 and kitchen sets
for 110,220.
And the winter weather has affected northern Iraq, with
heavy snow making life difficult for refugees in Domiz camp and those staying
with local communities. These people are also facing high prices for basic
commodities. "While substantial winterization work has already been done,
UNHCR is monitoring the situation closely. Currently, we have urgent needs for
additional winter clothing, boots, and scarves, particularly for
children," UNHCR's Edwards said.
Inside Syria, UNHCR has in recent months provided
significant winterization aid to refugees and displaced families, including
winter quilts, heavier blankets and warm clothing. Shelter assistance work
started in late 2012 and programmes of cash assistance have been under way. As
of year's end UNHCR had helped more than 400,000 people in accessible areas of
Syria, providing non-food aid, and in addition cash aid to nearly 15,000
families.
"Despite the difficult security conditions, we are
continuing to work to help people where we can – often working through partner
organizations. However, difficulties of access mean we cannot reach all people
in need," Edwards said.