Again Children The Worst Sufferer
By Joseph Gathia
20 October, 2005
Countercurrents.org
Now that roads are open, aid has begun reaching the affected areas, although some outlying villages are still untouched, and there are reports of anger toward the authorities for a perceived slow response. Almost a week after the earthquake, roads are re-opening but weather getting worse. Relief efforts in many remote villages are hampered, as roads are buried in rubble and many affected areas remain inaccessible. Heavy equipment is needed to clear the roads and to rescue survivors buried under the earthquake wreckage, as many rescuers are still picking the rubble with pickaxes and their bare hands, looking for survivors.
Karakoram highway is blocked at several points, hindering relief efforts.
Damage to buildings and several casualties have been reported in surrounding provinces of Punjab and Balochistan.
At least 38,000 people have been killed and hundreds of thousands of others are homeless or severely injured, following the devastating earthquake, which ripped through large areas of Northern Pakistan and India on 8 October 2005. Official casualty estimates are expected rise again due to bodies now being recovered in rubble removal operations, and due to the extreme weather conditions.
It is estimated that nearly half of those affected by massive quake, which killed more than 35,000 and left 2.3 million homeless, are children and the international relief effort must focus on keeping them in mind.
Rescue effort are also affected by the numerous aftershocks that continue to rattle the region and put rescue workers in danger as they search through the wreckage for survivors.
In many areas there is no power, or adequate food or water; there is also the danger of disease spreading, including measles. Distributing relief supplies to the victims is especially urgent as the victims face the risk of exposure to cold weather due to the region's high altitude and the approaching winter. Food, medicine supplies tents and blankets have been identified by relief workers as essential items. On October 10, the United Nations warned that the earthquake left 2.5 million people homeless and they are in need of shelter. The UN made an appeal to raise US$272 million to help victims.
Although incidents of looting were reported, this has now been controlled by the Punjab Police as well as the army. There is still no civil administration on the ground.
The October 13, snow started to fall on the Indian side of Kashmir. Many regions are facing increasing threat of being cut off from help, as snows will close even more roads in the mountainous region.
Local authorities reported the official death toll as 39,422 in Pakistan (including more than 13,000 killed in North West Frontier Province) and 1,329 in Indian-administered region of Kashmir. However, the number of confirmed casualties is expected to rise to more than 54,000 (official Pakistani estimates) with some sources estimating much higher. Most of the affected areas are in mountainous regions and landslides that have blocked the roads impede access. An estimated 3.3 million were left homeless in Pakistan. The UN reported that over 4 million people are directly affected. Many of them are at risk of dying from the spread of disease.
Thousands of children in regions devastated by South Asia's earthquake are at risk of death from cold, malnutrition and disease, UNICEF said.
In Pakistan children go to school on Saturday, When the earthquake struck they were all in the class room. Large number of children died due to roof collapse. Those who survived are suffering from crushed bone injuries and blunt trauma. It is estimated that of all deaths due to earthquake nearly 30 percent are children. This reminds us of Kach (Gujrat) earthquake.
There are hundreds of recovered bodies of children being kept outside schools ready for burial.
Meanwhile the Pakistani Prime Minister has announced that no adoption will be allowed of the orphaned children. UNICEF is also supporting the view of Pakistani government.
Hundreds of people flew from Britain to Pakistan in search of their relatives.
Mobile phones have provided a vital link for some but using landlines has been impossible.
Situation Overview:
Pakistan
At least 40,000 people had been killed and 42,397 people had been hurt according to Pakistan’s Interior Minister Aftab Sherpao . In Northern Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir, the Pakistan Army undertook relief operation in the quake-hit areas. All civilian and military hospitals have been directed to deal with the situation on an emergency basis. The Government of Pakistan opened President's Relief Fund (Pakistan) for Earthquake relief operation, where donations can be made and appealed for International Aid, as the magnitude of the disaster becomes clearer.
On October 10, Monday, survivors were still being found and rescued from the wreckage including a 2-year-old girl in Islamabad. Then on Wednesday, a Russian rescue team rescued a 5-year-old girl in Muzzaffarabad who has been trapped for nearly 100 hours.
On October 14 the Pakistan government agreed that unaccompanied children from the disaster should be taken to the SOS Children emergency shelter in Islamabad for family tracing in a central database and help. They also agreed that SOS should be temporary guardian until relatives were traced.
Continuous rains throughout last night have considerably slowed down relief operations. As landslides are blocking roads, helicopters are the only means to get to cut-off villages, but due to heavy clouds and bad weather, many helicopters were grounded. More storms are forecast.
Compilation of current assessments has led to a revision of shelter needs:
It is now estimated that thousands more tents are needed than are in the pipeline. Local stocks are now exhausted, but 16,000 have been delivered and up to 70,000 tents are on their way.
UNHCR has sent 20,000 tents to Pakistan. The majority is winterised and the remainder will be supplemented with extra sheeting and blankets. 2000 stoves are also on the way.
Assessments are still ongoing with common reporting formats increasingly used.
Water and Sanitation
The affected area faces a major challenge resulting from more than two million people lacking sanitation facilities. The challenge is to get adequate and safe drinking water, sanitary disposal of excreta and basic hygiene in place before a major epidemic occurs.
Health
The large number of injured is overwhelming the current capacities and is still not sufficient to meet the existing needs. Many injured may not be treated in time and death toll is likely to increase. WHO is appealing for a large quantity of water to the international community as it is expected that the lack of safe drinking water will become a major health risk soon. Water tanks and latrines need to be set up and solid waste collection needs to be initiated immediately. The main risks are now: diarrhoeal illnesses, pulmonary diseases and non-treatment of injuries of earthquake survivors. Patients are now coming in with infected open fractures and gangrene.
The most immediate health objective is the emergency treatment of thousands of injured that cannot be treated on time or not be reached and securing sources of sustainable sources of clean drinking water. The need for mobile operation theatres is very much felt.
Food
Supplies of foodstuffs are continuing to be donated from individuals, communities, as well as NGOs and WFP. However, the majority of the estimated immediate food and nutrition needs have still not been met.
Food distribution is slowly starting to be more organized as national and international NGOs are actively establishing presence and building capacity.
Several rapid assessments are ongoing to establish the caseloads, basic needs, priority areas and budgets. However, the current number of operating NGO partners is far less than the required to meet the enormous challenge of feeding one million people.
AZAD JAMMU AND KASHMIR (AJK)
Initial surmise that Azad Jammu and Kashmir(AJK) would be the worst affected region has been proven correct. Some 30,000 of the 40,000 dead are thought to be from AJK. In Muzaffarabad, the capital of AJK located only miles from the quake’s epicentre, has been hard hit and the situation in outlying areas beyond Muzaffarabad is believed even worse.
Survivors from surrounding villages have trekked into the city, their numbers growing as roads and bridges; those who haven’t made the journey are assumed to have perished.
As virtually all infrastructures have been destroyed, the injured and the dead are being housed in makeshift camps, in the local university campus and in Muzaffarabad Stadium.
Medical care is urgently required. There is no electricity or water, with residents relying upon local springs and rivers. Petrol is another significant issue; as aid supplies begin to reach the area, fuel will be required to reach outlying regions. Both roads to Muzaffarabad are now open to both light and heavy vehicles, but have become clogged by the sheer volume of traffic.
India
In the Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir, the injured are being treated at Srinagar's SMHS hospital and the Uri Field Hospital, with many makeshift medical facilities being set up to help the injured. Hundreds of people have been brought in; many of them critically injured. In keeping with a traditional duty since independence, the Indian Army has undertaken a key role in co-ordinating and running relief operations.
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, and Leader of the Opposition L.K. Advani visited quake-hit areas. An ex gratia of Rs one lakh (100,000 Indian rupees, about US$2255) to the next of kin of those killed in the quake was being released from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund.
As of 10 October, many areas in the Baramulla district with about 15,000 people remain inaccessible. The army is attempting to reach these people using helicopters.
Response to earthquake :
Many countries, international organizations and non-governmental organizations have offered relief aid to the region. The aid come in the form of donation as well as relief supplies including food, medical supplies, tents and blankets.
Rescue and relief workers have been sent to the region from different parts of the world and they brought along rescue equipment, including helicopters and rescue dogs.
The Govt of Jammu and Kashmir is providing tents and other relief to the victims. The Indian industrial houses have pledged nearly Rs 25 crore for relief and rehabilitation.
Oxfam, Action Aid, Caritas (India) , CASA, Save the Children, World vision among many others have started their relief work. However, the Govt. of J&K is insisting on receiving tents and not other relief materials.
Ms. Mahbooba Mufi is reported to have said that nearly 30,000 tents are requird of which 7,000 have been provided by the government.
Focus right now is on providing basic aid, shelter, clothing, water supplies, food, and emergency medical supplies", an NGO source said.
World known NGO Concern’s head of operations in Pakistan, Dorothy Blane, informed that tents were hard to come by even though Pakistan was ironically one of the world’s major tent manufactures.
"Pakistan is one of the world’s main suppliers of tents to the world, but it’s very hard to get them here. They don’t have 100,000 sitting waiting here. They can make the tents fairly quickly, but they don’t have giant stocks."
"Food supply is not an issue, but food distribution is an issue – there’s still 20 percent of the affected area that we do not have access to." She further informed .
Several international agencies said they were sending high protein biscuits, boots and sweaters for children, blankets, water containers, plastic tarpaulins, tents, medical supplies and blankets to affected areas.
Many non-governmental organisations are already operating in the region, like Austria-based SOS Children' Villages, which said it was distributing relief packages of dry food, water and blankets, mattresses and tents in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistani Kashmir.
The Challenge Ahead
It is now clear that the children have died in large number as they were in school at the time when the earthquake occurred. The Pakistan Govt. confirmed that" a generation has been lost". As Saturday is a normal school day in the region, most students were at schools when the earthquake struck. Many were buried under collapsed school buildings.
The surviving children are facing lack of food and shelter. Many non-governmental organizations are already operating in the region, like Austria-based SOS Children's Villages, which said it was distributing relief packages of dry food, water, blankets, mattresses and tents in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistani Kashmir.
Tamur Mueenuddin, a health officer for UNICEF, said the agency and others are trying to create a mechanism to reconnect children with their families, counsel them and provide assistance and protection for those left alone.
But With wintry conditions arriving in the higher elevations, children are facing a potentially deadly combination of cold, malnutrition, and disease.
Most housing has been destroyed in the hardest-hit areas, so the survival of thousands of young children is now at stake.
Many non-governmental organizations are already operating in the region, like Austria-based SOS Children's Villages, which said it was distributing relief packages of dry food, water, blankets, mattresses and tents in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistani Kashmir.
Christian Aid has pledged 250,000 pound to the global alliance Action by Churches Togather ( ACT) international.
The experts feel that rehabilitation will take almost 5 years. It is a long battle. But surely human will and co operation will over come this.
Joseph Gathia can be reached by phone +91-11-22794613
Mobile 9810270489
This report is based on the information provided by the UN Humanitarian Office in Islamabad, press briefings of national authorities, agencies, NGOs and donors agencies in Pakistan and India.
