PESHAWAR: New teams arrive in quake-hit areas: ISPR
PESHAWAR Oct 19: As chances of finding survivors in the debris recede with every passing hour, Pakistan Army is concentrating more on rehabilitation of victims in the earthquake hit areas of the NWFP, said an ISPR press release issued on Wednesday.
In the relief and rehabilitation efforts, some new aid teams have arrived to assist Pakistan Army to cope with massive challenge of restoring normalcy in the calamity hit areas.
The team of Red Crescent International Society which has recently arrived in the area, has opened rehabilitation centre at Cadet College Batrasi. Joint team of Japan and Switzerland and another French team ‘Medicine Sans Frontier’ have set up emergency OPD at Mansehra Kawai and Naran.
Ukraine has opened 100 bed hospital at Besham whereas surgical teams of World Health Organization (WHO) are operating at Nawazabad and Allai areas. UAE has upgraded its hospital from 50 to 200 beds at Balakot and complicated casualties are being shifted to UAE.
Poland is upgrading its rehabilitation hospital at Mansehra up to 200 beds. Army Medical Corps and other foreign agencies are carrying out vaccination against tetanus, measles and hepatitis. Current population census and survey of primary health is being undertaken in the affected areas.
Army Corps of Signals has assisted Mobilink to re-establish its services in Balakot and extend its operations to Garhi Habibullah. Warid telecom is also planning to start limited mobile services in Mansehra and surrounding areas with the help of satellite based system.
Army Corps of Signals is also assisting PTCL to re-establish damaged communication network in Balakot and adjacent areas. Communication up to Balakot has already been restored and ahead of Balakot up to Naran is likely to be established within next few days.
Army engineers started work on Sachakalan-Nawazabad and Jabori-Sacha Kalan roads blocked by landslides due to earthquake on Wednesday morning. These roads were opened by the evening.
Army engineers are also working round the clock to reopen roads in the earthquake affected areas of NWFP. So far slides have been cleared from 53 kilometres out of 88 kilometers long Thakot-Darband track. About 44 km long section of Garhi Habibullah-Balakot road leading to hutments and small villages in the heights have been cleared.
In Jabori area road Battal-Sachakalan-Dadhar-Sinkiari has been reopened for all kinds of traffic. Similarly, another track leading from Sacha Kalan-Mandi-Tarlai has also been opened transportation of food supplies to far flung areas has gained further momentum with opening of roads and tracks.
Wapda has restored 70 per cent electricity in Balakot, 80 per cent in Garhi Habibullah, 100 per cent in Shinkirai 50 per cent in Battal and Batgram and 80 per cent in Besham and Thakot, whereas 100 per cent electricity is being provided to the medical teams field hospital and other relief agencies operating in the affected areas.
