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| October 15, 2005 | Saturday | Ramzan 10, 1426 |
Aftershocks torment quake survivors
PESHAWAR, Oct 14: With no let-up in aftershocks many families in Garhi Habibullah and Balakot have moved out to settle with their relatives in other parts of the country.
In some of the instances, surviving children and women migrated from the affected parts to cities like Karachi, Lahore, Abbottabad and Mansehra. They have lost their male family members.
The earthquake and its aftershocks have left few houses in livable condition in Garhi Habibullah whereas vast majority of residential quarters have either collapsed or have been badly damaged.
Aftershocks of mild to moderate magnitude have consistently been hitting the northern parts of the country, particularly, areas that were affected the most by the Oct 8 quake.
During a recent visit to Balakot and Garhi Habibullah, the two worst-hit northern towns of the NWFP in district Mansehra, this reporter saw several number of families, boarding vans and other large vehicles with sizable household items, were leaving their permanent neighbourhoods for cities down the country.
Those who still do not want to abandon their damaged houses, they have erected tents in plains and playgrounds in front of their collapsed abodes.
Whereas a large segment of the population lacking financial resources is forced to live in the open braving harsh winter nights.
Since the first deadly wave in the crust of the earth that played havoc with northern parts of Pakistan on Oct 8, the Pakistan meteorological department, Peshawar, recorded some 554 aftershocks until 5:10 pm Friday.
According to data made available to Dawn, 101 aftershocks were recorded on the first day of the natural devastation (excluding the first earthquake), 122 aftershocks on Oct 9, 75 on Oct 10, 76 on Oct 11, 63 on Oct 12, 78 on Oct 14 and till 5:10 pm on Oct 15 a total of 39 aftershocks were recorded by the local Met office.
“There is no water, no electricity and above all it is not safe to live here,” said Nazir Tanoli, an ex-employee of a bank.
He, along with his family, has left for Karachi to settle with his brother-in-law who visited his family in Garhi Habibullah after hearing the news of the tremors.
“Aftershocks have apparently become a permanent feature of the daily life in Garhi Habibullah and the adjoining areas,” said Mushtaq Tanoli, a lecturer at the government degree college for boys, Balakot.
He is planning to go to Mansehra because of the shortage of drinking water and foodstuff.
“With no water this place is not liveable, so I am planning to move to Mansehra till the time the situation improves in Garhi Habibullah,” said Mushtaq, who escaped narrowly after the building of the college and its hostel caved in within no time after the tremors hit the area.
Commenting on the frequency at which aftershocks were hitting the affected parts, Mohammed Rafiq, director of the Met office, Peshawar, said that it was a ‘common phenomenon’, which followed the quake.
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