Zambia Flood Victims
Re-Connected To Aid Relief And Reconstruction - ITU Deploys Satellite
Communication Terminals
(17 March 2008) The International
Telecommunication Union has deployed 25 satellite terminals to help restore
vital communication links in the aftermath of severe floods that have inundated
low-lying districts across Zambia.
Nearly 400 000 people in 19
districts across the country have been affected, with as many as 36 000
inhabitants displaced. The majority of the victims are in Monze (Western
Province), Mumbwa (Central Province), Mkushi (Central Province), Mazabuka
(Southern Province) and Kafue (Lusaka Province). A total of 3418 homes and 44
schools collapsed as a result of heavy rainfall, and ensuing floods have
destroyed roads and communication links, hampering the co-ordination and
delivery of assistance.
The mobile terminals deployed by ITU are easily
transported by road and air to the affected regions and have facilitated the
co-ordination of relief operations by both government and humanitarian agencies
to aid the victims of this disaster.
"I empathise with the Government
and the people of Zambia for the untold suffering caused by the floods that
have left a large number of people displaced and their crops wiped out," said
Sami Al Basheer Al Morshid, Director of ITU's Telecommunication Development
Bureau. "Cases such as this re-affirm the importance of disaster communications
and underscore the need for the recently launched ITU Framework for
Co-operation in Emergencies (IFCE) aimed at saving lives through the timely
delivery of telecommunications resources to disaster-affected areas."
Mr
Shuller Habeenzu, Chief Executive/Controller for the Communications Authority
of Zambia said, "The satellite terminals that ITU provided are critical for an
effective response to this unprecedented rainfall which has inundated many
parts of the country causing severe flooding, destruction of infrastructure,
damage to homes and the displacement of many people. The damage to road
infrastructure has resulted in some parts of the country being cut-off and thus
further complicating the Government's efforts to gather information and
co-ordinate its response."
Cosmas Zavazava, Chief of ITU's Division for
Emergency Telecommunications said, "We appreciate the contributions from our
partners who continue to contribute various technologies and funds to the ITU
Framework for Co-operation in Emergencies launched at the Global Forum on
'Effective Use of Telecommunications for Disaster Management: Saving Lives',
held last December. I can safely say that we are dedicated to reinforcing the
support that we will put in place for first responders and victims of
disasters. The IFCE is an innovative mechanism that has opened new doors of
opportunities and choice."
ITU is providing both Thuraya hand-held
satellite phones and Inmarsat Global Area Network (GAN) terminals. The Thuraya
satellite phones use both satellite and GSM networks and also provide accurate
GPS positioning co-ordinates to aid relief and rescue. The Inmarsat GAN
terminals are mainly used for voice communications and, in some cases, can be
used for high-speed data. ITU pays for all expenses, including transportation
of the equipment and its usage.
Global Forum on emergency
telecommunications
Emergency telecommunications is the key for government
and humanitarian aid agencies involved in rescue operations, medical assistance
and recovery. ITU hosted a 'Global Forum on the effective use of
telecommunications/ICT for disaster management: Saving Lives' in Geneva,
Switzerland from 10 to 12 December 2007. A number of key innovative emergency
telecommunications initiatives were launched to ensure timely intervention of
telecommunications resources before, during and after disasters strike. The
event brought together high government officials, CEOs from the
telecommunications industry, United Nations agencies, and non-governmental
organisations. Eleven Co-operation Agreements were signed with key
partners.
(source: ITU)
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