PEOPLE in North West Guadalcanal have food that will only sustain them for up to a week according to assessment reports.
Reports from the four rapid assessment teams in northwest Guadalcanal say major damages were on food gardens and water sources.
The multi-agency teams said damages to food gardens are between 75 to 100 percent.
They say most villages that lost their gardens to water inundations only have food stocks to last at least a week.
“Aruligo communities have lost all their gardens and small stores and canteens are running out of rice stocks and other basic food,” they said.
However, they said only a small pocket of villages were reported as needing water containers as most villages are using water tanks they received after similar floods last year.
The team which assessed the upper Poha River said there were many small landslides some of which buried some gardens and water encroaching into cocoa plantations eroding them away.
However the team said most gardens have not been affected.
It also added two houses have been damaged by the floods.
“But the almost 500 people in scattered villages need water containers and tanks.”
The teams said villagers without water tanks and containers are resorting to sourcing water from buried sources which are still contaminated.
The National Disaster Management Office has requested the Solomon Islands Red Cross to assist with installing its water purifiers as well as supply collapsible water containers for communities who need them.
The office said they are soon to access emergency food relief for the worst affected communities.
The reports also said health issues too need urgent attention.
“Although only a few people had colds, trauma and vomiting at the moment, diseases will increase if no interventions are put in place now,” they stated in the report.
Meanwhile, a two-man NDMO team which assessed east Guadalcanal by helicopter last Friday said there were no signs of major damages to gardens or villages.
They saw water inundation only on several garden plots near Ruavatu School.
“This means food in those gardens would rot within the next two to three days after the inundations.”
They concluded that no further assessments were needed in that part of Guadalcanal.
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