ISLAMABAD, Oct 21: The government is contemplating to help all earthquake victims to construct at least one room on an urgent basis before the onset of winter.

Dr Salman Shah, adviser to the prime minister on finance, told a three-member Asian Development Bank delegation that the government was considering as an immediate relief measure to provide cash and material support to victims to help them build one room to shelter themselves from the winter.

The government had earlier planned to provide tents to the victims as a shelter, but there is a world-wide shortage of tents because of the enormity of the catastrophe that has left some 50,000 dead, 67,000 wounded and 3 million homeless.

As temperatures drop below freezing, the risk of hypothermia for people living without shelter increases.

So far, just 20,000 of the 300,000 winterised tents needed have been delivered. An additional 150,000 tents are on the way and 100,000 have been pledged, but many of those are not winterised and will have to be altered.

British secretary of state for international development, Mr Hilary Ben had said the other day that many of the tents being used were inappropriate and would not be sufficient to protect the victims against the severe winter of northern areas.

“We must provide the victims shelter before winter comes in and should have enough doctors to cure the injured,” the adviser said as he reiterated the government’s resolve to provide immediate relief to quake victims.

Speaking about the international response, Dr Shah said it was encouraging, but the destruction was enormous.

The ADB team comprising Edward Hawk, Fernando Garcia and Peter Fedon informed Dr Shah that the bank would complete the assessment of damages by November.