Pakistan winds up tent camp in earthquake zone
Authorities in Pakistani Kashmir on Tuesday began winding up one of the first informal tent camps established for survivors of last year’s deadly earthquake.
The closure of the camp set up in Jalalabad Park in Muzaffarabad, the devastated capital of Pakistani Kashmir, came days ahead of the first anniversary of the earthquake.
The camp was opened on October 9, a day after the quake struck northern Pakistan, killing more than 73,000 people and leaving more than three million destitute. “Yes, today we have started shifting people to another place because the government wants to revive the park,” camp manager Maqbool Shah told Reuters.
Technorati Tags: Kashmir, earthquake, Jalalabad, Muzaffarabad, PakistanNew quakeproof building code for Pakistan soon
The National Engineering Services of Pakistan (NESPAK) is all set to prepare a new building code for Pakistan to protect buildings against future damages caused by high intensity earthquakes. It has already prepared a building code for Islamabad, AJK and some parts of the NWFP that were hit by last year’s earthquake.
The new building code will be implemented by the Capital Development Authority (CDA) in Islamabad for all new constructions in the city. NESPAK has also submitted the code to the Earthquake Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Authority (ERRA) to ensure that it is followed in the construction works in the affected areas, said NESPAK Managing Director Chaudhry Karamatullah in a presentation regarding the rehabilitation and reconstruction schemes in the earthquake-affected areas. The presentation was chaired by Federal Minister for Water and Power Liaqat Ali Jatoi on Tuesday.
Technorati Tags: Pakistan, NESPAK, Islamabad, AJK, NWFP, CDA, ERRAPPAF launches project for quake-hit areas
The Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF) launched its Restoration of Earthquake Affected Communities & Households Project (REACH) with a funding of Rs 1.6 billion from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). Lt Gen Nadeem Ahmed, deputy chairman of the Earthquake Rehabilitation & Reconstruction Authority (ERRA) was the chief guest at the launching ceremony held on Wednesday.
In his inaugural address, the chief guest praised the role of IFAD and PPAF in development of rural areas. He said rehabilitation is a big challenge for the country and REACH would play an important role. He said that approximately 600,000 homes had been assessed for damage and compensation given to 40,000 affected people. Ahmad Jamal acting chief executive PPAF, Nigel Brett country portfolio manager of IFAD, and Steve Jones coordinator for the World Bank also spoke on the occasion.
Technorati Tags: Pakistan, Poverty, PPAF, Earthquake, IFAD, ERRA, REACH, World BankFatima Bhutto questions efficacy of quake relief efforts
Fatima Bhutto, daughter of late Murtaza Bhutto, and grand-daughter of former prime minister, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, and author of “8:50 AM: stories of hope and courage from the earthquake areas”, resorting to plain speaking and in a tone of cynicism, put forth some searching questions about the October 8, 2005 earthquake. She was speaking at the launch of her book at the Karachi Press Club on Thursday.
Thanking the other speakers for their tributes, she brought up some very intricate issues.
Technorati Tags: Fatima Bhutto, Murtaza Bhutto, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, earthquake, KarachiFM99 to update earthquake affected about their recovery
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has launched a radio programme to update earthquake affected people affecting their recovery. The programme, launched in collaboration with the media wing of Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (ERRA) will be aired in Islamabad and earthquake-affected areas. A daily half-hour show to be aired on radio FM 99 will be based interviews on with government policy-makers, aid workers, returnees and people living in relief camps.
Source: Daily Times
Technorati Tags: UNHCR, Earthquake, ERRA, Islamabad, FM 99Quake-hit areas face massive landslide threat
The World Conservation Union (IUCN), the World Wide Fund (WWF) and CARE International are predicting a serious environmental hazard in the earth quake- affected areas and have issued an alert bulletin highlighting the threats for the up coming monsoon season.
Environmentalists are saying that the unstable earth, resulting from the earthquake, may cause massive landslides and loss of life and agricultural land in the event of heavy or extended rains. According to Dr David Petley of University of Durham it was probably the greatest landslide threat in the world.
Technorati Tags: IUCN, WWF, CARE, earthquake, DurhamHumanitarian Information Centre (HIC) for Pakistan
The Humanitarian Information Centre (HIC) for Pakistan is a common service to the humanitarian community managed by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and operates in coordination with a number of partners including the United Nations Joint Logistics Cell (UNJLC), the UK Department for International Development (DFID) and the European Community Humanitarian Office (ECHO).
The HIC provides a range of services and products designed to help organisations to make operational decisions during the emergency period. These include orientation products (including contact lists and meeting schedules), map products (covering issues from administrative boundaries to security concerns) and technical advice to organisations to help them manage data and information more effectively.
Normal life returning to quake-hit areas: WHO
The World Health Organisation’s (WHO) country representative in Pakistan Dr Kahlif Mohammad Bile has said that revival of normal life has begun in the earthquake-hit areas of Pakistan and said that joint efforts of world health bodies were going on in this regard.
He was addressing the handing over ceremony of 12 prefabricated basic health units (BHU) in the quake-hit districts of the NWFP to the provincial government at Ayub Medical College on Saturday, a press release stated.
Dr Bile said that all pre-fabricated units were equipped with the latest machinery, furniture, a vehicle and an ambulance along with three months stock of medicines.
Technorati Tags: WHO, earthquake, NWFPAustralia Contributes A$20 Million to ADB’s Pakistan Earthquake Fund
The Government of Australia, through the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID), has made an A$20 million contribution to Asia Development Bank’s Pakistan Earthquake Fund (PEF).
The PEF was established in November 2005 to pool and promptly deliver emergency grant financing for projects that support immediate reconstruction, urgent rehabilitation, and other associated development activities in earthquake-affected areas in the country. ADB made an initial contribution of US$80 million to the fund.
“We are very grateful for this contribution from the Government of Australia, which will be used for the much needed reconstruction of education and health facilities in Azad Jammu and Kashmir damaged by the earthquake,” says Werner Liepach, Principal Director of ADB’s Office of Cofinancing Operations.
Technorati Tags: Australia, AusAID, Pakistan, Earthquake, KashmirKashmir Education Foundation to setup schools in earthquake hit areas
The Kashmir Education Foundation (KEF), which is already running three educational institutions in the country, has planned to set up two more schools and an institute of teacher’s education in Azad Kashmir and rest of the Pakistan within next two to three years.
Speaking at a press conference, KEF Chairman Maj Gen (retd) M Rahim Khan said that the foundation in 1996 had established two institutions i.e. Pearl Valley Public School (PVPS) and Institute of Teacher Education (ITE) in Rawlakot and Azad Kashmir, as pilot projects of the KEF.
Technorati Tags: Kashmir, Pakistan, Rawlakot