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ACT Situation Report

Pakistan and India 04/06

Pakistan-India earthquake

Pakistan I India
Survivors' case studies

Geneva, February 28, 2006

PAKISTAN

Information supplied by ACT member Church World Service (Pakistan/Afghanistan office)

Survivors' case studies
Finding strength in moving forward

Rajiq has been living in the United Pakistan Camp since the earthquake of October 8, 2005. He is gentle, well-liked and is always surrounded by children. Before the earthquake, he had his own shop where he sold clothes and groceries. Like most people living in camps, he has suffered many losses from the earthquake that devastated northern Pakistan.

Rajiq was a tenant on someone else’s land in the village of Jared, where he had a two-bedroom house that he and his family built many years ago. When the earthquake struck, his entire house fell down, and his mother was buried under the rubble. Fortunately, his wife and two daughters were outside the house at the time. Rajiq lost his mother, his house, his shop and his animals in just a few short minutes. All his savings were gone, and his means to support his family was destroyed.

Because Rajiq lived on someone else’s land, he did not receive any compensation for his loss of property. The landowner received all the compensation from the government for Rajiq’s destroyed house and did not give any portion of it to him. Angry, frustrated and sad at leaving everything that he had worked so hard to create, Rajiq had no choice but to take his family and head toward Mansehra with only 20 rupees in his pocket. On his way, he encountered relief workers from an NGO who were distributing money to earthquake survivors. Rajiq received 5,000 rupees, some of which was used to purchase bus fare for his family to travel to United Pakistan camp, situated between Balakot and Mansehra. Upon reaching the camp, the management provided them with a tent, food and some clothes. Here Rajiq and his family started their life afresh.

Although still grieving from the loss of his mother four months after the earthquake, Rajiq is counting his blessings and has opened a small kiosk. At first, he sold sweets outside the camp schools, but he is very proud of the fact that he also sells small plastic toys now and will soon add dry fruits to his inventory of products. His wife also comes and tends the kiosk sometimes, and both of his daughters, aged one and three years, are usually playing nearby.

Rajiq sometimes talks about how much he misses his mother, but he understands and accepts that this is God’s will and life must go on. He is hopeful that with the money he earns from his kiosk, one day he will be able to build his house again in another place. Rajiq will not return to his old house even though his landowner is asking him to do so. He has the courage, the resourcefulness and now a plan to rebuild his life. At a time of great loss, Rajiq has found strength.

Fatima’s determination

Fatima Bibi used to live in the village of Kanshian, in Mansehra District, before the earthquake. Now she lives in Hassa camp near the town of Balakot. Everyone who meets her admires her incredible strength and determination. Fatima’s story is about her determination to survive.

On October 8, 2005, Fatima lost her house, livestock and crops due to the catastrophic earthquake. Two of her sons and one daughter were severely injured. When no hope remained for surviving in their hometown they decided to leave their village. Now, her husband and their children are living in a single tent in Hassa camp.

In the camp she received shelter, food, clothing and medical treatment. As soon as she settled into the camp, she sent her husband back to their village to search for her most cherished belonging. It was her treasured sewing machine, which was buried under the rubble. Although the sewing machine had been damaged, Fatima was determined to repair it herself. Not surprising to those who have met her, Fatima succeeded in fixing her old machine. Now she is sewing clothes in the camp and earning enough money to support her family and meet their daily expenses.

Although Fatima has faced tremendous losses, she is happy and thankful that God has given her the opportunity to help her family and people around her as well.

General situation

As winter snow began to fall in the earthquake-affected areas, Pakistan’s federal relief commissioner was reporting that only 30,000 out of the total 853,758 tents that were distributed were fully winterized. Many survivors have been relying on kerosene-powered stoves, blankets, clothing and plastic sheets to keep their shelters and themselves warm this winter.

Pakistani prime minister Shaukat Aziz has asked the Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (ERRA) to submit a comprehensive plan for resettlement of earthquake-affected areas that focuses on housing policies and restoration of health and education facilities so that construction activities can be initiated immediately.

The provincial governments have been asked to expedite the delivery of the remaining instalments for the reconstruction of damaged houses. An amount of Rs. 25,000 per person has been paid to survivors. The next instalment of Rs. 75,000 will be paid in early March, followed by two more instalments of Rs. 25,000 and Rs. 50,000 after surveys are conducted to ascertain that designs are in accordance with building codes prepared by the government to make the houses earthquake resistant.

The North West Frontier Province (NWFP) relief commissioner reported that Rs. 25,000 would be paid to each earthquake-affected business person of the province to enable them to restart their businesses. Of this amount, Rs. 15,000 will be an outright grant, with Rs. 10,000 to be repaid in instalments. Khushali Bank has also allocated Rs. 3 billion for issuing loans to business people.

The NWFP relief commissioner also reported that enough stocks of food, medicine, tents and sheets have been made available in the affected areas. Plans have been finalized for beginning rehabilitation activities in the affected areas of NWFP on March 1. It has been decided to move survivors living in tent villages closer to their home areas starting on March 1 and provide complete rations to last for one month. Resources will be given to survivors to build quake-resistant houses by themselves.

Church World Service (CWS)-ACT response

Psychosocial program

Individual counseling sessions have been held at the Shohal Najaf, Hassa and United tent villages as part of the regular psychosocial activities. Over the last four months, the CWS psychosocial program team has been able working at restoring the confidence of survivors so they can face future challenges. Women who were in a state of trauma and were facing social problems in the initial days after the quake are now becoming more self-reliant and are ready to share their personal stories and concerns more openly due to the encouragement from the team.

A women’s group meeting was conducted in the Shohal Najaf tent village to allow residents to share their concerns and apprehensions. An issue that is repeatedly raised by the participants of the group is the refilling of the kerosene cylinders (frequency of distribution and involving authorities’ concerns over storage). The CWS team has passed on the concerns of the residents to UN Development Program authorities who are currently responsible for managing this process in the tent village. A sustainable solution to this problem was expected.

The CWS psychosocial team organized a successful handicraft exhibition in the Shohal Najaf tent village on February 23. The purpose of the exhibition was to provide women with an income-generating opportunity and to display their handicrafts. The women presented their embroidery items, hand-made clothing and decoration pieces at the exhibition. These goods were prepared using various materials. CWS also presented prizes to participants for their creative skills and craftsmanship.

The team also distributed necessary items to residents of various tent villages. The teachers in Shohal Najaf tent village received chairs. The team also distributed 800 kits containing clothes, jackets and shoes provided by the International Organization for Migration, and 100 sleeping bags were distributed at United camp.

In the Hassa tent village, a men’s group meeting was organized at which the relocation and recovery plan was discussed thoroughly. The residents expressed their anxiety about resettling in the villages before the camp closes on March 31. The psychosocial team provided two large tents for community meetings at Hassa camp and continued the registration process of families living in the camp. Meeting with individual households, the team has started developing relationships with families and has shared information on CWS and its various initiatives and programs.

CWS psychosocial teams have completed the family registration process in the United tent village. Registration at the Shohal Najaf tent village is ongoing.

CWS health and hygiene program

The CWS health and hygiene team distributed hygiene kits (include a nail cutter, soap, laundry soap, shampoo, Vaseline, shaving razor, comb and mirror, towel, handkerchief and toothpaste) provided by UNICEF and warm clothes to the participants of the handicraft exhibition at the Shohal Najaf tent village. The team visited the Madian tent village and held community meetings in order to identify volunteers and form health and hygiene committees. The committees will start working in the next couple of days. The team also visited the Maira tent village, where women were briefed on the importance of personal hygiene and the use of latrines. The team has observed that interactions between the women and the health and hygiene team have improved over time. The female residents are keen to learn and apply the hygiene education being provided by the team.

The team also inspected four water points in the Shohal Najaf tent village. They explained to residents about the need to maintain the cleanliness of these water points, and they agreed to clean them on a daily basis. The team also made a monitoring visit to the latrine areas of the tent village and did some awareness raising about the proper use of latrines.

The CWS/Norwegian Church Aid (NCA) water and sanitation team visited phase IV of the Maira tent village and arranged for the installation of two water tanks with the capacity of 20,000 liters and 10,000 liters. For phase IV, 40 latrines and 20 bathrooms have been constructed, and more are currently under construction. In the Shohal Najaf camp, four toilets for school teachers and two for the army management have also been constructed.

In late January, extensive damage to the water-supply system, washrooms and latrines were reported due to the recent downpour in Balakot, Chattar Plains, Battagram and Besham. The team rebuilt the water-supply line to Shohal Najaf and was working on constructing a 20,000-liter water tank in the camp. Similarly, damaged latrines in the camp were reconstructed, and work began on adding to capacity to accommodate increased needs. In Maidan camp, the NCA team repaired all latrines and washrooms damaged by the heavy rain. The team is constructing weather and water-resistant facilities in the camp to minimize the risk of damage during periods of heavy rains. Clothes donated by NCA – including caps, jackets and shoes for children – were also distributed in Maidan camp.

The main source of water for Balakot city has been cleared, and now water is reaching the main water tank. The team is working to build a connection line from the main tank to Balakot city that will provide water to the rest of the city.

CWS Recovery Assessment and Monitoring (RAM) team

The CWS RAM field team visited Paras village, union council Kawai, district Mansehra for monitoring and assessment activities. According to the team’s assessment, the village suffered extensive damage and destruction. Approximately 35 people died in the earthquake in this small village. CWS was able to provide residents with plastic sheets and blankets during the early days of the relief effort. Most of the community members are tenants. The field team also carried out an assessment of Rattan Nullah village, union council Kawai, Tehsil Balakot, district Mansehra. 49 deaths have taken place in the village due to the earthquake. The team also visited the Kund tent village and met with the women in order to identify volunteers.

The RAM team also compiled village and household profiles of Ashwal village, Hilkot Union Council, Mansehra Tehsil and District. The team reported that these areas had been mostly overlooked and that CWS has been the first organization to provide relief assistance here.

CWS inaugurated a construction trade training center in Mansehra at which 60 young men from tent villages will be trained in five different trades (masonry, electrical, plumbing, carpentry and welding) in connection with the recovery and rehabilitation program.

Meetings and visitors

It was shared in the UN food and nutrition cluster meeting that food distribution will stop after April and that only targeted distributions will take place. The World Food Program (WFP) has been feeding one million people in Azad Kashmir and NWFP. WFP has proposed a two-year recovery and relief operation. In this operation WFP will work in areas like road construction (food-for-work), water supply (springs/canals/streams), school feeding, green houses/nursery-raising/plantations and brick making. These activities will be supported by government departments and NGOs having related experience.

It was clarified at the UN emergency shelter cluster meeting at Islamabad that movement out of camps by end of March will be on a voluntary basis. UNHCR will continue to provide services until August.

The preliminary results of the needs assessment of camp sites having less then 50 tents show that 15,000 families and more than 100,400 people are living in such locations in Mansehra alone, whereas in Muzaffarabad there are 70 such settlements with an estimated total population of 12,000. Major needs identified were non-food items, water/sanitation and food.

Visit the Web site of Church World Service-Pakistan/Afghanistan for regular updates. Also see the Web site of the Pakistan Humanitarian Forum, which CWS is part of. The site has useful information about the NGO response to the earthquake.

Sources: Reliefweb, Web sites of Geo TV, AAJ TV, Dawn, Reuters Television Network, Daily Time and the Nation; field reports of CWS needs-assessment team and Pakistan Humanitarian Forum meeting minutes.

INDIA

Information supplied by the Academy for Disaster Management Education, Planning and Training (ADEPT) (created by the National Lutheran Health & Medical Board, a unit of the United Evangelical Lutheran Church in India, which holds ACT membership)

The ADEPT medical team treated a total of 8,075 patients in phase 1 of operations in quake-hit areas of Kashmir in India until the onset of unprecedented rains and intermittent snowfall, which halted work on November 29, 2005. Of these, 45 percent were men, 30 percent women and 25 percent children. During this period, reports of worsening respiratory infections combined with health hazards due to exposure to snow and cold were received. After exploring various options, it was decided to restructure the medical team with local doctors supported by health workers and porter/health attendants who are adapted to local winter conditions and skilled enough to climb through the snow to the affected villages.

The team resumed operations on January 16. To reach quake-affected villages, team members drive as far as possible on snow-covered roads, sometimes having to push the vehicle through snow drifts, and then climb through the snow.

According to instructions from the commissioner for Kashmir, a new set of villages was taken up for operations. These include: Bandi, Machikaran, Lagama, Gundi, Brijala, Sarai, Jabda, Kamalkote, Noorkhana, Kinari, Median, Gowalan, Sangrian, Sultandaki, Sukhdar, Salamabad, Kadniyar, and Rohama.

The most common conditions being treated are severe respiratory infections, fevers, and frostbite. Operating out of Baramulla, the doctors treat patients, identify a villager with enough skills who can serve as a community health attendant and stock enough medicines with him to last until the team revisits the village. Special attention is given to children, the elderly and women. Community health attendants are trained to identify common conditions and manage them until the doctors’ next visit.

Between January 16 and February 15, 5,626 patients have been treated, covering a population of 39,800. Of these, 30 percent are men, 33.5 percent women and 36.5 percent children.