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| November 19, 2002 | Tuesday | Ramazan 13, 1423 |
Unicef supplies aid to quake victims
ISLAMABAD, Nov 18: The Unicef has rushed in assessment teams and supplies to the evacuees of the three earthquakes in the Northern Areas at the makeshift camp set up at Gonar Farm, near Gilgit.
The earthquakes and the after shocks on Nov 2 and 3 had caused considerable loss of the life and left thousands homeless.
“As the lead agency for women and children, it is Unicef’s role to ensure that in any emergency, their needs are addressed first and foremost. With winter setting in, they are particularly vulnerable,” said Unicef Representative Carroll Long.
Unicef’s Dr Tameez Ahmad undertook a rapid assessment of the situation and provided relief assistance to the affected families and communities including 350 jerrycans for storing drinking water, 20,000 water purification tablets and 10 emergency health kits.
The supplies were distributed through the district government officials.
“The earthquakes left as many as 11 people dead, 35 to 40 people with serious injuries and up to 4,000 people homeless. Hundreds of livestock were killed and the earthquake triggered a number of landslides along the Karakoram Highway, which severely hindered relief efforts and the cold weather was an addition to the miseries,” said Mr Ahmad.
“The Muttath and Tatto valleys in the Diamir district, about 60 kilometres from Gilgit, were the worst-hit areas. These valleys, comprising 14 villages, have a total population of 3,127 people. So far more than half of them have been evacuated to a makeshift camp at the Gonar Farm about 28 kilometres from Chilas towards Gilgit,” he added.
The Unicef official said: “In the camp at Gonar Farm, sanitation facilities are practically non-existent. We saw human waste strewn just a few feet from the tents. In addition, the water being supplied to the camp residents was tested and, it was found to be contaminated.”
The Unicef had provided 3,000 feet of pipes to bring water from a stream source to the camp and in partnership with the Northern Areas Public Works Departments, construction of toilets and bathing places had been started on a priority basis to prevent diseases, Mr Ahmad said.
“The 20,000 water purification tablets, supplied by the UN body are a blessing and so are the jerrycans for storing water,” the chairman of the District Council said and added that the tablets would last for 35 days and then more purification tablets would be needed.
The deputy commissioner of the Diamir district, Mohammed Ali, said that the government was also planning to establish a park for children, who had been left homeless, to help alleviate their trauma.
The NA administration believed that the camp would remain there for at least four months. “This means the affected people have to brave the severe winter season from December through February when the temperature drops below the freezing point at the Celsius scale,” he added.
“Proper heating arrangements are needed. Use of wood inside the tent is not advisable due to fire risk and smoke. Kerosene heater are perhaps the best option,” cautioned Col Basharat Rizvi.—APP
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