Pakistan Earthquake 2005

Covering the earthquake, the damage and the relief work in Pakistan.

Archive for December, 2005

Oxfam and FRC complain about substandard tents

Oxfam and the Federal Relief Commission (FRC) have complained about the poor quality of tents made available in the earthquake-hit areas in Azad Kashmir and the NWFP.

At a meeting of the sub-committee of the Senate Standing Committee on Textile and Industry on Wednesday, an Oxfam representative told the participants that 90 percent of the tents were unable to withstand the harsh weather and were not winterised. He said that more than 50 percent of the tents were not even waterproof.

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Isolated Village Makes Urgent Plea For Help

Azad Bara village is situated on the ceasefire line between Pakistan and India, an area snowbound for 5 to 6 months of the year. Thirty-three families from this village were displaced some years ago by Indian shelling, and relocated in a housing colony in Uda Badi (Bagh City District) with the help of KIRF (Kashmir International Relief Fund-UK). Today, the 40 families still living in Azad Bara are struggling to survive the aftermath of the 8 October earthquake. Weather reports from that area indicate that snow has already started to fall (1 ft according to latest report). It should be noted that even before the quake, several deaths were recorded in this area last year following a pneumonia outbreak. Medical care in the area is non-existent.

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Why not grants instead of loans?

Did Pakistan have the option to seek relief from donors in debt servicing instead of asking for condition-loaded ‘soft’ loans and grants? This is a question which many in Pakistan raised after the government claimed credit for securing $1.9 billion grants and over $4bn soft loans from a conference of international donors.

Critics say that it was not a donors’ conference but a “lenders” gathering who were out to create business opportunities for their companies from the earthquake disaster. Pakistan secured debt relief on $11 billion repayment after the 9/11 incident plus trade concessions from the US and the EU. It was a price demanded by the military rulers of Pakistan for becoming a partner of the US and developed countries in their war against international terrorism.

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Pakistan launches crash program for wheat crop in quake-hit areas

Pakistan has launched a crash program for wheat crop in a 43,000-acre land in the earthquake-devastated areas of North West Frontier Province and Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

Agriculture Minister Sikandar Hayat Khan told the Lower House of Parliament on Thursday that under this program, seed and fertilizer have been provided free of cost to farmers with the collaboration of the United Nations aid agency.

In response to a question by an opposition lawmaker Samia Raheel Qazi, he said a total of 28,000 acres of farming land in NWFP and 15,000 acres in Kashmir were devastated by the quake.

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Aga Khan’s AB139 Fleet Added Civil Support to Military Relief Efforts

The Aga Khan Development Network’s (AKDN) fleet of four AB139 helicopters have been extensively used in earthquake relief operations in Pakistan’s northern regions.

Delivered between late 2004 and spring 2005, the four AB139s were acquired by AKDN to operate in the remote and mountains regions of South and Central Asia to ferry personnel and material for the construction of the three University of Central Asia (UCA) campuses. Initially based in Islamabad and Dushanbe Tajikistan), in the aftermath of the earthquake all four were brought together at Islamabad base.

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Private sector to provide building material

The Earthquake Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Authority (ERRA) directed the provincial governments to ensure the provision of building material through the private sector and also to train workers for the reconstruction of the quake-hit areas.

This was stated by the ERRA, while issuing details of the housing reconstruction programme on Wednesday.

The government has decided that the financial and technical assistance will be provided to the earthquake stricken people for the reconstruction of their houses. It was also decided that reconstruction will be taken on the basis of the seismic zoning of the area and houses that are earthquake resistant and serve futuristic needs of the people will be constructed.

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Aid in Emergency

Aid in Emergency is an account of a humanitarian aid trip to the earthquake effected area of Northern Pakistan by seven doctors between 9th till 16th November 2005.

Emergency Aid (EA) was set up by Mr. and Mrs. Khalid Sadique in October 2005 after seeing the effects of the Pakistani earthquake. The aim was to get medical relief to those that need it most.

EA is a volunteer based organization. It is funded through volunatry donations and is in the process of setting up a charity for that purpose.

EA also works in conjunction with local aid agencies, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and the Pakistani military.

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New York Medics Earthquake Relief Effort

NYC Medics works to rapidly deploy expeditionary emergency medical disaster response units to overwhelming catastrophes worldwide; operate in a self-sustained, versatile capacity independently or part of a larger relief effort; ensure continuity of relief and recovery efforts post-deployment through coordination with other relief agencies and public awareness campaigns.

NYC Medics are currently trying to raise money to aquire and send shelters, heaters and supplies to the people in the areas in or around Sewanj, Chinari, Kathai, and NorDijhia.

For details visit NYC Medics web site.

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