Pakistan Earthquake 2005

Government to launch owner-driven construction in earthquake zone

The government will launch a $2.4 billion assessment and payment programme from April 7 to ensure construction of 600,000 houses in quake zone before next winter, Altaf Saleem, chairman of the Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (ERRA), said on Wednesday.

The government has already distributed the first installment of Rs 25,000 among 565,000 earthquake victims to start rebuilding their houses on owner-driven basis and teams has been constituted to assess and present recommendations for the second installment.

Explaining the rationale behind the owner-driven strategy, the chairman said that people have to be given incentives to start building shelter as early as possible. “The government will provide the money and they will provide speed,” he said.

Amir Khan to visit earthquake survivor camp

British boxer Amir Khan will try to play his part in supporting this week the millions of survivors of last year’s devastating earthquake that struck several parts of Pakistan when he visits a camp of displaced people on the Pakistani side of Kashmir.

The 2004 Olympic silver medallist will visit residents of a camp near the city of Muzaffarabad on 6th April, the same place he visited on an earlier trip last December.

“These people have lived through a massive earthquake and survived a winter of snow and rain camped in tents next to the Himalayas, said the Bolton-based boxer on Sunday. “We all need to work together to give them as much support, care and time as they need to rebuild their homes and their lives.”

US and Australia wind up quake operation

US and Australian military personnel helping with earthquake relief in Pakistan said farewell on Thursday after nearly six months of life-saving helicopter airlifts.

At a ceremony in a massive hangar at the Qasim Army Aviation Base in Rawalpindi, US and Pakistani officials exchanged gifts and compliments before the official end of the mission on Friday.

Against the backdrop of a giant US Chinook helicopter and an Australian Black Hawk, American ambassador Ryan C Crocker said the scale of the mercy mission following the October 8 earthquake was unprecedented.

UK commits first £5 million to earthquake reconstruction

The UK Government’s Department for International Development (DFID) on Thursday committed the first £5 million (527 million Rs) of its support to earthquake reconstruction and rehabilitation work.

The funds will be spent in the three key areas of Bridging, Health and Education. The education and health programmes will be managed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Speaking on the announcement of the funds, Dr Yusaf Samiullah, Head of DFID Pakistan said last November at the Donors conference in Islamabad the UK Government announced a grant of £70 million. Since then we have been working hard to ensure that this money will be spent where it is needed most. “I am delighted to be able to announce today that we are doing just that”, he said.

US Relief Efforts Winding Down in Quake Hit Areas of Pakistan

Two more Chinook helicopters departed from Pakistan as reconstruction efforts turn to land transport to deliver reconstruction materials, a US Embassy statement revealed.

Currently, six US CH-47 Chinooks are in Pakistan and will operate until March 31. At the beginning of relief efforts in October, up to 21 US helicopters were delivering supplies. As relief efforts progressed, the US matched the airlift capacity with humanitarian assistance requirements and reduced the number of helicopters to 12 through the winter months and the rainy season. With the arrival of spring, the build-up of supplies at distribution centres and with the reopening of roads to the affected areas, the US helicopters were no longer essential to relief operation.

Quake children to be vaccinated

All children leaving the internally displaced persons (IDP) camps will be vaccinated against infectious diseases. The vaccination will be carried out by female health workers, the Health Ministry announced on Tuesday at a meeting chaired by Mohammad Nasir Khan, the federal Health minister.

An increasing number of TB cases have been registered in the earthquake-affected areas and treatment was provided through the directly observed treatment short course (DOTs) programme. The meeting was informed that patients suffering from spinal injuries had been shifted from public hospitals to spinal injury units, while 97 patients had been admitted to the National Institute for Handicapped (NIH), seven to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), 33 to the PIMS Satellite Hospital and 91 were admitted to the Cantonment General Hospital (CGH).

AIOU announces fee rebate for quake-hit students

The Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU), announced fee relaxation to the earthquake-affected students seeking admission in the Spring and Autumn semester 2006.

The students, at the time of admission have to submit a certificate bearing information about their permanent home address before March 31. Muhammad Rafiq, director at admissions AIOU, announced that the last date for the submission of admission forms for the Spring semester would be March 25. He said that the admission forms and prospectus could be obtained from the main campus of the university at Sector H-8, Islamabad and from all regional campuses and offices across the country. For Middle East countries, admission forms and prospectuses were available at Pakistani High Commission and embassies. The students can get more information about the university from the website: www. aiou.edu.pk.

IOM begins repatriation of earthquake refugees

IOM will coordinate with the Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (ERRA), and provide free transport to those who wish to return to their villages and towns in the earthquake affected areas from Monday.

IOM will initially supply over 150 trucks and jeeps, and coordinators say the programme will be expanded as the return process picks up speed. “It’s a huge task. Each family will need several trucks to take their tents and what remains of their personal belongings,” said IOM Regional Representative Hassan Adbel Moneim Mustafa.

“It will take months to finish, but we hope that an informed return process will encourage more people to return faster and help them restart their lives.”

Quake Funds for Housing: Next installment in April

Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has said that the distribution of the next instalment of funds for the reconstruction of houses damaged by the October 8 earthquake will start in the first week of April.

This decision was taken in a meeting of the Earthquake Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Authority (ERRA) chaired by the prime minister on Wednesday. “The government will also launch a scheme for cash grants of Rs 3,000 per month in April to vulnerable families,” an official statement said.

Zaller returning to Pakistan - house plans included

Greg Zaller is returning to Pakistan Saturday to continue his efforts to help house 2 million rendered homeless by an October earthquake.

Zaller, 54, of Nevada City, initially went to Pakistan in November after passing up his annual vacation for a chance to help others. Zaller went with a 12-by-12 wood frame and sheet-metal home design to help Pakistanis get out of tents.

Upon his return, a small team of volunteers rallied to help Zaller, and they have found a new home design using straw bales. About 100 of the original homes have been built and the original wood design is still being used in remote mountain areas pummeled by the quake. But that design called for long hauls of material and a mill on site to construct the homes.