Herat Eartquake Joint Response - Cordaid implementation A magnitude 6.3 earthquake, with the epicenter in Zindajan district, 40 km west from Herat city, and a series of strong aftershocks, occurred on Saturday the 7th of October 2023. The earthquake took place in the morning, when mostly women and children are at home, and men were out. Especially around the epicentre, whole villages have been whipped out, as houses are traditionally made of clay and cement, which could not resist these shocks. While search and rescue was still full ongoing, on the 11th of October another 6.3 magnitude earthquake took place, with the epicentre 28km north of Herat city. And on the 15th of October another 6.3 magnitude earthquake happened, this time in Injil district, which is adjacent to Zindajan district and was also one of the most affected district of the first earthquake.

According to the Herat Earthquake Joint Response Plan (OCHA, 10/2023), an estimated 319 villages were impacted by the earthquakes. Some villages have seen practically all houses collapsed, in others houses are still standing but are severely damaged. As per the OCHA flash update #5 & #7, so far an estimated 21,500 homes are are completely destroyed by the earthquake; 1.384 have died during the multiple earthquakes, and 1.853 people are injured. Injured people are/were treated outside the hospital because there is not enough room in the hospital and also people are scared of being inside buildings.

Infrastructure is also damaged, as power supply was cut, as well as phone networks, and other basic infrastructure seriously damaged: water supply, roads, health facilities, schools. Many people have been sleeping outside or in tents since the first earthquake, and have poor access to hygiene facilities, increasing public health as well as protection risks. There is risk for the outbreak of respiratory and waterborne diseases (Health Cluster 09/10/2023). Should displacement continue over the coming weeks, people in temporary shelters will also be facing the imminent cold season (WB accessed 09/10/2023; AP 10/10/2023). It should not be underestimated that winter is approaching, rains have started, which is having also an impact of people staying outside or living in destroyed houses, as temperatures are dropping as well. The earthquakes have come at the start of the lean season, at the beginning of the winter, which is seriously affected people’s coping mechanisms.

At the moment the multiple-partner, joint needs assessment in the affected districts, coordinated by OCHA, is still ongoing. OCHA has released the Earthquake Response Plan, while the assessments are ongoing, in which 114.000 people have been identified as affected. From DRA partner staff on the ground, it has been said that only 25% of the affected area/population has been assessed (date 19/10/2023). This also due to the damages to infrastructure (bridges also collapsed), and landslides that occurred destroying the main highway between Herat and Torghundi, and lastly, there is limited possibility for accommodation in the areas around the epicentre of the earthquake, causing assessors (and also responders) to have to return to Herat at the end of the day. DRA and local partner staff on the ground therefore jointly reached out to staff and local district officials to collect data directly from these sources to have a better estimated from the people severely affected. This resulted in an overview of people affected per district, reaching a total of 286.790 people severely affected – their houses are completely destroyed or severely damaged; the expectation is that this number will still increase (estimated population in the affected area is 1,021,896, within a 50km radius of the earthquake area).

Afghanistan as a whole face a complex humanitarian crisis, as the country needs to recover from over 40 years of war, and at the same time the impact of drought and natural disasters. The takeover of the government by the Taliban in 2021, and the economic collapse that followed, has put people in negative coping mechanisms, with more than half of the population in need of assistance. High levels of unemployment and sustained inflation of key commodities have caused the average household debt to increase, challenging people’s coping mechanisms and thwarting the already fragile economy’s ability to adapt to shocks. Protection threats are also on the rise, especially women and girls are at risk of losing their rights and protection. In Herat, according to the latest IPC report of May ’23, 40% of the population is facing high levels of acute food insecurity, which was already projected to increase during the winter months. People have little resilience remaining to cope with yet another shock. The key objective of this Acute Herat Earthquakes Joint Response is to provide life-saving assistance to people
severely affected by multiple earthquakes in Injil, Kushk and Zindajan districts of Herat. Partners are targeting the most affected districts, where the majority of the population has been severely affected by the earthquake. Therefore, close consultation with community representatives, through amongst others beneficiary selection committees, will support with prioritizing the most vulnerable households in the targeted villages/communities.

Across activities, specific attention will be given to ensure vulnerable groups can access & receive services in a safe way & in line with the cultural context. Selection of the targeted population will prioritize marginalized groups, including women (PLW and Female HH), children, PWDs & elderly, and challenges to access aid, and them distribution process will ensure these marginalized individuals are the HH member receiving the MPC/NFI when feasible.

The total number of individuals targeted in Injil, Kushk and Zindajan districts is 55,350, without double counting. For more information, please refer to the consolidated logframe for this joint response.