Effect of Humanitarian Emergencies on health, food and nutrition !

Table of Contents

What is Humanitarian Emergency?

A humanitarian emergency is an event or series of events that represent a critical threat to the health, safety, security or wellbeing of a community or other large group of people, usually over a wide area.
Large number of the people are affected and face various problems due to this situation.
During humanitarian emergencies, many people die or are displaced, their livelihood are displaced and they are forced to face disease and hunger.

Humanitarian Emergencies can be grouped into following categories:

Humanitarian emergencies due to natural disasters: caused due to disasters such as tsunami, earthquake, cyclones or biological epidemics (e.g.: plague)
Man-made emergencies, such as armed conflicts, plane and train crashes, fires, industrial accidents etc.
Complex humanitarian emergencies, which often have a combination of natural and man-made elements, and different causes of vulnerability and a combination of factors that lead to a humanitarian crisis.

Complex humanitarian emergencies have 3 main features:
- Multidimensional phenomenon, not only wars but addition of other forms including migration, hunger and disease
- In many instances, when complex humanitarian emergencies are/seem manmade, natural phenomenon can be a real trigger.
- They are essentially political and politicized crisis.

Population displacement
Difficulty in coping with morbidity and disability
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders (PTSD)
Poverty
Rise in hunger and starvation, specially in severely affected and hard-to-reach areas
Rise in violence, reproductive health problems
Increase in cases on acute malnutrition, food shortages, etc.

Hunger and malnutrition are very common during humanitarian crisis
People endure hardship physically, mentally and financially during such crisis
Their livelihood is damaged and are completely abandoned
Poor access and availability to safe drinking water
Limited supply of food
People are more injured or sick and need highly nutritious foods to overcome such state
Emotional stress, chaotic environment makes it unnecessary and unsuitable to prepare meal or to even have meal
Specially, the most vulnerable populations like Pregnant and Lactating Women (PLWs), children under five years of age and elder citizens are severely affected. Their health, nutrition and mental state is broadly and deeply affected

1.1 Preparedness

Humanitarian emergencies are best tackled by preparedness
Preparedness should be done keeping an eye for different possible disasters
Preparedness include risk assessment, planning, stockpiling of equipment and supplies, emergency services and stand-by arrangements.
It also refers to proper communication, information management and coordination arrangements between various agencies involved during emergencies.

2.1 Food distribution

It is necessary to ensure that the food provided during humanitarian emergencies are nutritionally appropriate, addresses context-specific problems, and meets minimum energy, protein and fat requirements for survival and light physical activity.
We also need to ensure that the food distributed during humanitarian emergencies reaches the people most in need.
Food distribution should be equitable i.e. need based.
Along with the food distribution, targeted food supplementation can also be done for most vulnerable populations like Pregnant and Lactating Women (PLWs) and children under five years of age.
Steps to support local farmers and businesses should be taken as much as possible
Regular monitoring needs to be done at affected places to ensure proper food distribution.

2.2 Situation assessment

After the emergency, situation assessment of the requirement of the food and nutrition must be done by the concerned authorities
These food requirements then need to be fulfilled immediately without any delay by the state or other supporting agencies
Such assessment would help in proper distribution of the food aid at all places

Getting the right foods at the right time to the right people is most challenging. Specially reaching to hard-to-reach areas and the most vulnerable ones is even challenging.
Preparing and dealing with mental health problems and disorders like trauma (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders), distress etc., which may increase in the affected areas.
Providing proper support, counselling, care and possible rehabilitation facilities to affected populations.
Maintaining good sanitation, safe drinking water, and other supplies due to disrupted water and sanitation pipes and contaminated sources of water.