Archive for October, 2008
Earthquake in Balochistan not to affect oil, gas reserves
The powerful earthquake which hit Balochistan in wee hours of Wednesday will not affect oil and gas reserves there, a senior geologist told The News.
Most of the damage has been caused in and around picturesque Ziarat which does not has any major hydrocarbon reserve, said Pakistan Association of Petroleum Geoscientists (PAPG) Chairman, Syed Wamiq Bokhari. “(Extent of) impact depends on strength and location of the earthquake,” he said, adding “I do not think it will have any significant affect.” Ziarat block has low drilling density as far as oil and gas exploration activity is concerned, according to Capital One Equities Head of Research, Saad Bin Ahmed.
Earthquake Strikes in Balochistan: More than 250 dead, 20,000 displaced
The 6.5 magnitude earthquake that hit Ziarat division of Balochistan on October 29, 2008, has left 250 dead and more than 20,000 dispalced. Areas of Ziarat, Khawas, Varshoom are the worst affected areas where more than 300 houses have been destroyed completely and recovery of bodies and injured from the rubble is still underway.
So far 44 aftershocks have been recorded.
Severe cold temprature (–1 to –4 C night time) making it difficult to continue with rescue and relief work.
Contacts for Relief and Rescue Work:
International Medical Corps (IMC) [website]
Third anniversary of Oct 8 quake : Work on 50% reconstruction projects yet to be launched
PESHAWAR: The Provincial Earthquake Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Authority (PERRA) has started work on 50 per cent reconstruction schemes while work on the remaining projects is still to be launched on the completion of the third anniversary of the deadly earthquake that hit parts of NWFP and Azad Kashmir on October 08, 2005.
Officials say work on the remaining 50 per cent schemes would be started in the coming five to six months and the rehabilitation and reconstruction work will be completed by December 2010.
Earlier, the time frame given for completion of rehabilitation and reconstruction work was December 2008 which was extended to June 2009 with another extension till December 2010.
Dwindling hopes: Victims of 2005 quake still in shock
MANSEHRA: Victims of the October 8, 2005 earthquake are yet to come out of shock and miseries and return to normal life even after passage of three years of the devastating tremor that hit the Himalayan region of Hazara in NWFP and Muzaffarabad, Bagh, etc, in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
Disappointment and fear still loom on the faces of survivors, marking the third anniversary of the devastating earthquake while spending life in houses made of steel sheets. Facilities like latrines/bathrooms, sanitation and clean drinking water are still a distant dream for the ill-fated victims who are waiting for relocation and rehabilitation.
Earthquake 2005, unending miseries
October the 8th is the third anniversary of the massive earthquake that struck many parts of Azad Kashmir and North West Frontier Province in 2005 that caused widespread deaths, destruction and displacement. Over seventy thousand people, mostly children, were killed. The facts and stories of miseries are well known to the nation and world which participated in a big way to save injured and contributed in relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction effort.Information and updates on reconstruction effort continued for over a year. But political turmoil after the sacking of judiciary lawyer’s movement, terrorist acts and murder of Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, general elections and formation of government has diverted the attention of electronic and print media from the earthquake zone and the problems faced by the effected people. That is why, in the last two years there has been no reporting from the devastated areas of Azad Kashmir and NWFP, except an occasional feel good story based on the press releases.
Saba Home: First of its kind Orphanage for Earthquake Displaced Children
A first of its kind orphanage for displaced children affected by the October 8, 2005 earthquake is in the making to provide the unfortunate with state-of-the-art accommodation, education, healthcare and a sense of family.
The five-storey building of Saba Home orphanage in Gulraiz Housing Scheme, Phase II - not more than four kilometres away from Benazir Bhutto International Airport - has already been completed and is believed to be operational in the beginning of the next month.
Body found three years after the earthquake
Villagers found a body almost three years after a massive earthquake devastated northern Pakistan, a media report said Sunday. The 7.6-magnitude earthquake shook Kashmir and Pakistan’s mountain region on October 8, 2005, killing at least 73,000 people and rendering more than 3.5 million others homeless in the harsh winter weather.
People unearthed the body of a man in Kawai area of Balakot sub-district which was almost flattened by the earthquake, The News reported.
The victim, found near an identity card with the name Muhammad Fareed, was apparently working in a field when the catastrophe struck the region.
Open Letter from Magralla Towers Victims
Margalla Towers Tragedy: An appeal to your conscience.
As you are well aware on October 8th, 2005 as a result of corruption and negligence Margala Towers collapsed, leaving 72 people dead and over two hundred families homeless. Subsequently a case was filed in the Supreme Court on behalf of all the victims (Constitutional Petition No. 26 of 2005 Saad Mazhar etc vs. C.D.A. etc.) after nearly 2 years of struggling, the victims were compensated due to an historic, precedent setting judgment/order (October 3rd, 2007) by the former Chief Justice Chaudry Ifthikhar who ordered the CDA to compensate the victims. During this process the Prime Minister created an Inspection Commission to evaluate the technical causes of the collapse. The final report was made confidential. The victims felt that a milestone had been achieved and an element of accountability had been introduced into the nation and its governance. As a nation we are still grappling with questions of social responsibility and social accountability.