Introduction

    Food Availability……………………………………… 7
    Household Food Consumption and Eating Habits……. 7
    Health Conditions and Services………………………. 8
    Livestock……………………………………………… 8
            5.7.1 Livestock Population…………………………… 9
            5.7.2 Veterinary Facilities and Staffing………………. 9
            5.7.3 Relief Provided………………………………… 10
            5.7.4 Major Problems of Livestock………………….. 10

The Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock (MINFAL) on behalf of the Government of Pakistan requested WFP on 11 March 2000 to assess the drought situation and assist the government efforts in food aid, health and water in the Arnaji tehsil of Khuzdar district Balochistan. The UN Disaster Management Team decided to field a joint needs assessment mission (March 21 through March 27) that was comprised of representatives from WFP, FAO and UNICEF.

The mission met key government and NGO officials at Provincial and District level (list attached) and did an extensive tour of the affected areas, including one area that had never been visited by any mission. In so doing, the team met with scores of affected people.

The scope of this mission is limited to Aranji tehsil, although the findings could be extended to other adjoining areas particularly in Lasbela, Kharan and Awaran Districts where the mission was informed that an even worse situation has developed.

The mission focused mainly on food insecurity, health, water and livestock. The information in this report is based on interviews with the people or physical observation. It could not be supplemented by hard data on health, water, livestock and crops, as the institutional capacity to deliver these services is either lacking or insufficient.

The mission would like to record its deep appreciation for the considerable support of the Government officials and particularly the WFP sub-office/Quetta for arranging meetings and facilitating the visit. Special thanks must also be given to the Assistant Tehsildar of Aranji whose knowledge of the area and forthcoming cooperation made the mission’s work productive.

Balochistan is the country's largest Province in area (347,000 sq. kms) and has the lowest population (6.5 million). Population density is the lowest in the country (18.8 persons per sq. km). Generally, the economic and human conditions in Balochistan present a dismal picture of underdevelopment. The reasons for this state of affairs are many, ranging from the limited socio-economic opportunities afforded the people over generations, lack of education, poor infrastructure (particularly road networks), limited cultivable land, scarcity of water and irrigation schemes, limited access to health services and a lack of industry. The climatic variations are characterized as arid to hyper-arid, with average annual precipitation being between 50 and 400 mm per year. The physical conditions are harsh with rugged topography and extreme variation in temperature.

Khuzdar is the third largest district area wise of Balochistan with an area of 43,261 sq. km and a population of 409,164 persons, according to the 1998 census. Population density is 10.54, lower than the provincial average. It has three tehsils and nine sub-tehsils. The District is among the most disadvatanged. Most of the land is locked within rocky hills, leaving only little patches amenable to agricultural activities in selected locations in Wadh and Baghbana tehsils. The main Quetta-Karachi highway passes through Khuzdar District, playing a lifeline role by making access to the main town possible.

Sub-tehsil Aranji, which is spread over an area of 2,700 square kilometres towards the south of Wadh, runs parallel to the national highway in deep inhospitable mountains. The population is reported to be 28,459, according to the 1998 census, giving a population density of around 10 people per square kilometre. The population is sparse and the village size ranges from three to a maximum of 20 houses. The people live in a single room unit, without domestic facilities such as running tap water, sanitation and toilets. The houses are made of mud or a shed made of leaves of a wild bush known as "mazri". The population’s dominant source of livelihood is goat and sheep rearing. Employment opportunities in agriculture or elsewhere are non-existent. The area is very difficult to access due to lack of tracks and, as a result, population mobility is very much restricted. The people in this area unlike other Balochs are not nomadic because they fear losing control of the pastureland. Aranji, in sum, has been an ignored pocket, extremely difficult to access, almost to the extent that it seems to be outside Pakistan.

The drought situation in Aranji sub-tehsil has intensified over the past few months due to the prolonged dry spell. Rains during the last three years are said to have been very poor. The situation in other parts of Balochistan, such as Lasbella, Kharan, Awaran and Nushki, is reported to be equally bad if not worse than Aranji. In Kharan district, the death of small stock was reported to be over 150,000.

The Government of Balochistan’s response to the emerging drought situation has been timely and effective. Under the overall guidance of Governor of Balochistan, the Social Welfare Department has played a key role in mobilizing the government resources to provide emergency relief supplies of food, medicines for human and for livestock and used heavy machinery to make the track passable for 4x4 vehicular traffic. The mission particularly appreciated the Government’s efforts to rehabilitate tracks within the Aranji tehsil, thereby making access to these areas possible.

The Government has started relief works in February after it allocated Rs. 2 million for relief assistance. Details of food donations and distribution, in metric tons, are shown in the following table (figures are in metric tons):

The Government has provided medicines worth Rs. 950,000 to the District Health Officers (DHO), mainly vitamins, syrups and antibiotics. The Army and Frontier Constabulary had established medical camps in the main villages to provide medical aid.

The Livestock Department has supplied 300 packs x 50 kgs of animal feed to supplement the animal diet.

The Federal Government has announced a grant of Rs. 5 million to meet the emergency needs in the drought affected areas. The local administration gives top priority to establishing road links within the area so that relief efforts become cost effective; some of this amount may be spent on the five identified places for establishing open surface well.

As the drought situation has emerged in other parts of the province, the Government has constituted a high level committee under the chairmanship of the Governor of Balochistan, which includes the key line departments. The committee will take preventive measures, particularly in the livestock sector, that include provision of feed, shifting of livestock to safer areas and marketing of livestock. The committee will also engage UN agencies, NGOs and the private sector to support the Government relief efforts.

Hilal Ahmer (Red Crescent) has made a thorough assessment of the drought situation and has estimated that around 100,000 persons are in need of food assistance in Aranji, Kharan, Chagai and Zhob/ Lorali districts for one year. The cost of food and transportation for this operation has been estimated at around US$ 500,000.

The civil administration is confident of having been able to meet the emergency food needs of the population. The ration that has either been distributed or is available in Khuzdar was reported to be adequate for three months. Food is no more on the priority list of the Government. The Government’s top priority is to revamp the road network so that people can be reached. Other priorities include improving coverage of veterinary services to save livestock. The Government specifically requested the mission to help in the area of developing road communication.

During the field trip, the people placed top priority on development oriented needs. Most of them talked about roads, hospitals, livestock health and education. They thought that the solution to their problems should be looked at through the prism of implementing long-term development measures.

This area is traditionally below the poverty line. It is food insecure due to lack of agriculture, scarce economic opportunities and difficult access to food. Almost all food requirements are met through commercial mechanism. The non-existence of roads has contributed to the paucity of resources and their marketability. The overwhelming reliance of the population on livestock has left them with no other means to survive. The human population trying to exist in this area is generally very poor, with the majority of them managing a subsistence livelihood.

The drought situation has developed over a period of three years due to erratic rains but the situation during the past six months has turned from bad to worse due to the high mortality of livestock and increasing pressure on water sources. The situation needs to be monitored in the months to come as summer is approaching. During the summer, evaporation of water will increase and the need for water will also rise. During the next few months, water-borne diseases are expected to multiply.

Aranji area is not the only area that is affected by drought. The problems in this area had, however, been highlighted by media exposure leading to the natural and spontaneous response of the Government. Aranji may be the tip of the iceberg. Other areas are adversely affected both in the south as well as in the north of the Province. The following sections are based on physical observations. Unfortunately, no hard verifiable data are available to substantiate the findings, especially in this newly "discovered" pocket. The following sections describe the situation in further detail.

The rainfall during the past three years is said to be below normal. Parts of Khuzdar district fall within the monsoon zone; however, the Aranji area did not receive enough rain during this period to recharge the water sources and improve pasture land. The failure of the rains has exacerbated the harsh conditions for humans as well as for livestock, placing a great strain on the fragile and scarce water resources and vegetation.

Due to dispersed population and vast grazing area, there seems to be no pressure on grazing land under normal conditions. The grass in most parts of the affected area was quite substantial but dried due to lack of precipitation. According to the livestock farmers, the sheep do not eat dry grass due to dust. The shoots and shrubs were insufficient to provide an adequate diet for the goats and sheep that are the backbone of subsistence survival for the population. Due to poor vegetation and widespread diseases, the small stock has perished in large numbers and cattle, though a smaller population, are emaciated.

The greatest perceived need of the people is for water, which is one of the prime assets of Balochistan in general and of this community in particular. Water is considered to be the single most important factor that determines what and where economic activity can take place. The main water source is rainwater that flows in the gorges in normal periods of the year, and is used by both the human and livestock populations. Springs in the foot of the rocky hills along the watercourses are generally used for drinking purposes, but many of them have dried up. The Polali water stream that passes through Saloon Dand and Henami Bent is still a good source of water, which is used for farming along the watercourse as well as for drinking purposes. Similarly, there are a few streams near the Khuzdar and Lohindo road, which are still perennial although their level has subsided.

Water has been prioritized as the most urgent and major need both by the district administration and the communities. With almost no rainfall during the last three to four years, water is in short supply and both animals and human beings use water from the same available source. During the visit it was observed that the majority of these community water sources are the stagnant rain water stored in open ponds or a few low running streams used by the people themselves and their animals.

The livestock have a variety of diseases, including external skin diseases. As a result the water that is being used by the human population is contaminated. The concept of safe drinking water is non-existent in circumstances of multiple use of a very limited resource.

The underground water table is not very deep, with a maximum depth of about 100 feet. In several places the table is approximately 40 feet. A few shallow wells were also seen in Bhini Masjid. Unfortunately, the local inhabitants are unaccustomed to seeking out underground water due to availability of surface water in normal conditions.

The district administration has identified around five places to dig open surface wells, where water would be mined through diesel engines. According to them, it would be beneficial both for human beings and for livestock. Besides this a few other places were recommended for the installation of wells.

Since water was found to be a dire and urgent need, the mission analyzed the situation with great concern. Keeping in view the poverty of the inhabitants, the mission is of the opinion that open surface wells with installed diesel engines would not be a sustainable solution to the problem because the communities would not be able to bear the operational and maintenance costs. At the same time, a scattered population would render such installations cost ineffective.

The local population is entirely dependent on commercial markets for the purchase of food commodities as well as other consumable household items. In a good rainy season about 2 to 3 percent of the population cultivate wheat although the output is marginal due to lack of fertilizer intake, use of traditional variety seeds, unreliable rains and stereotyped farming practices. The farmers said that in a good cropping season, they get three to four bags of wheat in return for use of one bag of wheat seed. Since the cultivable land is limited, therefore, even in a good year, the yields cannot support them for more than three to four months. Since the population is widely dispersed and the size of an average village is five houses, shops do not exist. To give an example of this population dispersion, in a distance of around 100 kms on the Khuzdar- Kanjar Mari road that ends up in Bela, only 20 houses could be seen from the roadside. The main markets are Khuzdar and Bela, which are more than 100 kms away and the means of transportation are irregular and costly. Normally, the farmers make two trips to these markets where they take three to five goats/sheep, sell them and use the proceeds to buy food commodities, such as wheat flour, rice, sugar and tea.

The people in this area are doubly affected. The population has no easy physical access to food due to lack of roads and transportation facilities, and prices go up after adding the high cost of transportation. For example, on Khuzdar-Kanjar Mari road, which is a relatively better graveled road now-a-days, only one bus runs on alternate days. The fare per passenger is Rs. 70 and for a goat or sheep, Rs. 35. Half of the bus body has seats for passengers and the rear is without seats and used by animals. Due to weight loss, the prices of saleable goats and sheep have gone down by almost half, compared to few months ago. The loss of small stock means that families have less for sale; they get less return for that sale, and yet they pay more for their food commodities. A family may purchase a bag of 100 kgs wheat flour for Rs. 1000 in Khuzdar or Lasbela plus pay Rs. 70 for its transportation on bus. Under the present circumstances however, the farmers need to double the number of animals sold to purchase the same quantity of wheat flour or other food commodities. In other words, their purchasing power has been reduced by half after the onset of drought.

The population is barely meeting the minimum dietary needs to survive. Dry wheat bread is eaten at lunchtime and rice at night. Tea consumption is quite high. During scores of interviews, nobody mentioned eating vegetables, except for the occasional use of pulses with bread and rice. Tomatoes are a luxury, however, there is some use of onions. During normal years, they make yogurt and butter, which is consumed by the family. For the past several months, milk production has substantially reduced; and people no longer consumed diluted yogurt "Lassi" and butter. A comparison of the use of food commodities during normal years and during the present drought is presented below:

Normal (before) drought	During drought
Wheat flour (main diet)	Wheat flour
Rice	Rice (more use. Substituted for flour)
Sugar	Sugar (More use of Gur as substitute)
Tea	Tea
Ghee	-----
Pulses	-----
Milk and milk products	-----
Pulses	-----

The distribution of rations started in February in some villages and physical verification of the food stocks in houses revealed that cereals at the household level can last for half to one and a half months, depending on the number of rations distributed. The Mission saw very little pulses, while some people still had edible fat in their houses. Based on the population of 28,000 persons, the monthly requirement of cereals calculated on 15 kgs per capita is 420 Mt. The total quantity either distributed or in stock is 175 Mt, less than half a months requirement.

People have also started substituting food commodities since December 1999. The majority of them now eat rice twice a day and more people are now using "Gour" instead of sugar, because they cost less.

Balochistan in general has quite an inadequate network of health facilities as compared to the needs of its scattered population. The whole of Aranji sub-tehsil has only one Civil Dispensary – which is almost defunct due to the non-availablility of qualified staff and the required medicines. Traditional medicines are used in a few corners of the area. Victims are considered fatalistically. The few who can afford to do so, consulted doctors in Wadh, Khuzdar or Lasbella. The overall observation regarding the health situation in the area was quite depressing.

The communities reported around one hundred human deaths during the last four months, while the Government statistics indicate around thirty-five. The majority of human casualties were among the elderly and almost half of them were women. Deaths also occurred among children, infants and lactating mothers. Maternal and child mortality was found to be on high side. Several women were reported to have died either during labour or in the post delivery period, because of non-availability of emergency obstetric care or services, poor communication services and long distances.

According to the District Health Officer (DHO), the blood and stool samples were sent to National Institute of Health (NIH) in Islamabad and to the Aga Khan Hospital, Karachi for examination. The reports do not give any indication of the diseases and casualties being viral. People reported having severe cough, chest congestion, diarrhoea (especially in children) and some oral bleeding. The mission observed people suffering from Acute Respiratory Infection, anaemia, pneumonia, diarrhoea and tuberculosis.

The Health Department, Frontier Core and Pakistan Army had set up medical camps in the area at a few central points where people were given an initial check up and some medicine. People from the areas distant from the identified central points were unable to benefit from the medical relief. During the investigation at the community level, no viral infections were identified.

The scarcity of water and lack of sufficient food has resulted in malnutrition and water borne diseases for the majority of inhabitants. Due to prolonged malnutrition, people are in a poor state of health and resistance against diseases is very low.

Livestock grazing is the biggest land use in the area. Due to aridity, the vegetation has the characteristics typical of arid or semi arid regions. These rangelands serve as the production base for livestock, which in turn supplies milk, meat for human consumption and other products such as wool, hair, hides and skins.

The major livestock species raised in the area are sheep and goats. Mostly mixed flocks of sheep and goats are raised and they are commonly grazed in the mountains and plains. The flock size varies from 25 to over 500 head of sheep and goats.

The drought has left very little grazing available, particularly for small ruminants. Furthermore, continuously repeated grazing on the available vegetation has caused irreparable damage to the vegetation in the area. Only vegetation unpalatable to the animals remains. Repeated cycles of food shortages mean that the animals have become undernourished and cannot travel several kilometres per day in search of food. The constant nutritional stress has lowered the resistance of the animals and disease is common. The shortage of drinking water for livestock in most of the area is another cause of the diseases. Lack of food and debility mean that the growth rate of livestock has dropped, and farmers are selling their sheep and goats for Rs. 200 – 300 against Rs. 1000 – 1200 in normal conditions. This has affected the human population in the area, (as indicated above) as livestock is the only source of livelihood. The drought situation affects the whole district and several other parts of Balochistan, while Aranji has become the focal point.

According to the livestock census of 1996, livestock population of District Khuzdar is 2,302,266 heads as shown below:

The reported livestock population of sub-tehsil "Aranji" is 20,000. Information collected from Naib-Tehsildar of Aranji and interviews with local inhabitants revealed that the total population of sheep and goats is in the vicinity of 150,000 – 160,000.

The status of veterinary facilities and staffing in Khuzdar and Awaran Districts is as follows:

Vet. Hosp. Vety. Disp. Vety. Officers L/S Sup. Stock Assist.

There are no regular veterinary services in sub-tehsil Aranji, and no mobile unit has been providing veterinary services in the area, either in normal periods or at present.

Preventative vaccination against the following contagious diseases has been carried out by the staff of Provincial Livestock and Dairy Development Department (PLDDD) in Village Aranji Masjid area, while livestock in the remaining 146 villages of Sub-tehsil Aranji are to be vaccinated against:

The PLDDD in collaboration with the District Administration has provided the following inputs to the livestock farmers in sub-tehsil Aranji.

The greatest constraint of the area is accessibility. Tracks which might have been used were those built in the early 70's for other reasons. Most of these tracks were abandoned due to lack of repairs. However, during the present crisis, 80 kilometres track originating from Darkala at the main national Khuzdar-Karachi highway up to Aranji Masjid has been graded and is passable for 4x4 small vehicles. (A 4x4 small truck makes two trips in a month). Similarly, about 50 kilometres off-track has been made useable for 4x4 vehicles and serves the southern parts including main villages such as Henami Bent, Khooravi and Bhin Masjid. The third track is Khuzdar-Kanjar Mari (130 kilometres). This road links Khuzdar to Bela and one bus on alternate days is used for human as well as livestock transportation. The interior areas are still uncovered and people have to travel several dozen kilometres to get to a vehicle route.

Logistics is therefore a major constraint and the price of food commodities and the cost to transport livestock to market are high. People have to carry loads of food and other supplies on foot or by donkey from the link road for dozens of kilometres, which poses another limitation on the supply side. The secondary transportation cost of one ton from Khuzdar varies from a minimum of Rs. 600 to Rs. 1,400, excluding loading charges. Only a 4x4 small (Modo) truck can carry 2.5 mt load.

Health facilities, schools and veterinary services are completely lacking. There are only two boy's schools near the main highway while the interior has none. Data in key areas are either difficult to find, unreliable or do not exist. Data on the livestock population, for example, are not available. The Livestock Department has officially reported a population of 20,000 livestock, which (as shown above) is misleading. The population is estimated at over 150,000. Due to the non-availability of health facilities, the Mission was informed that the area has a high rate of infant mortality and maternal deaths. The health and veterinary teams have established camps at some points, although the majority of the population has yet to be covered.

There is no NGO that can help lighten the burden of the communities. There is a great need for community awareness to encourage enterprise and create variety in their livelihood systems thereby reducing dependence on pastoralism.

The drought situation in Aranji sub-tehsil arises from the failure of rains, placing great strain on water sources and livestock health, reducing prices of livestock and diminishing the purchasing power of the population. The situation will further worsen in the months to come unless good rains are received. The Government has intervened in a timely and effective way that has averted a potential situation of starvation and catastrophe. The situation in other parts of Balochistan particularly in Lasbela, Kharan, and Chagai and in the northern Districts of Loralai and Zhob is equally bad if not worse. The Government is in the process of collecting information from these districts and the situation will become clear in the coming days. Although the mission focused on Aranji, there will be a need to extend these findings to other similar areas. Alternatively, a new needs assessment mission could be fielded in April. Some specific recommendations are:

1: Mr. Niaz Mohammed Khan, Secretary Social Welfare GoB Quetta (Provincial Relief In-charge)
2: Orya Maqbool Jan Abbasi, Director Social Welfare Balochistan Quetta
3: Dr. Rashid Javid, Director General Livestock Balochistan Quetta
4: Dr. Mohammed Azam Kansi, Deputy Director Livestock Quetta
5: Mr. Mohammed Ali Changezi, Commissioner Kalat Division Khuzdar
6: Mr. Abdul Salam Deputy Commissioner & ADM Khuzdar
7: Dr. Jalil Zehri, District Health Officer Khuzdar
8: Dr. Zarar Deputy Director Livestock Khuzdar
9: Mr. Noor Ahmed Baloch, Superintendent Engineer Irrigation Khuzdar
10: Mr. Mohammed Ali, Divisional Director Education Kalat Division Khuzdar
11: Mr. Ghulam Yasin Zehri, Executive Engineer Public Health Engineering Khuzdar
12: Mr. Qazi Mohammed Ahmed, Extra Assistant Director Agriculture (Extension) Kuzdar
13: Mr. Noor Ahmed, Naib Tehsildar, Aranji sub-tehsil Kuzdar
14: Mr. Shabir Ahmed, department of Public Relations Kuzdar
15: Major Javid, Hilali Ahmer (Red Crescent) Balochistan Quetta
16: Mr. Abdul Ahad Khan Resident Project Officer UNICEF Quetta
17. Dr. Rasool Bakhsh Raisani, Program Officer UNICEF Quetta

Source	W. flour	Rice	Pulses	Sugar	E. fat	Tea	Others
GoB	20		2	2	1	0.1	Glucose packs, water
Army/FC	50	10	5	10	5	1	2 packs biscuits
GoB	25		2.5	2.5	1	0.1	Lasbela (Northern parts)

Jumati Islami	65						Sugar and pulses included
BNP	50						Sugar and pulses included
J.U.I	35
Edhi	10
Citizen Committ.	10
Total	265	10	9.5	14.5	7	1.2