| November 15, 2005 | Tuesday | Shawwal 12, 1426 |
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Bird flu threat
The army’s response
Karachi’s traffic mess
What is needed for winter
Compensating earthquake Victims
Children also contribute
Technology institute
Equivalency
ATMs
IN YOUR opinion pages a lot of pertinent and constructive suggestions have been appearing virtually in every issue of your esteemed daily.
Tariq Hasan’s letter “Interim shelters for quake-hit people” (Nov 11) particularly points in the right direction. To erect A- shaped shelters of galvanized corrugated steel sheets for the entire quake-hit population in general and the mountainous areas in particular is the only answer to save the affected people from the harsh weather that has already set in. I myself come from one of the worst-hit rural areas of Bagh district. My village, situated about 18km northwest of Bagh, though downhill from Nanga Pir’s hilltop, faced sub-zero temperature following the first rainfall of the winter. Tent shelters can no longer sustain the rigours of severe winter. Without lighting firewood for heating in these areas, children and old people will remain prone to cold-related diseases and untimely death due to exposure. All means of heating in the tents being hazardous are prohibited. Moreover, tents shall not remain standing as these are not able to withstand the weight of heavy snow.
Besides using GI sheets for making the shell of cabin-like shelters, sheets of fiberglass, though costly, are light, strong, weatherproof and probably fire-resistant and could be used for making walls for these shelters. The cost of both GI and fiberglass sheets could easily be reduced by a least one-third if holders of the existing stocks in the country are allowed to claim drawbacks equivalent to customs duty, GST and WHT already paid on these stocks at entry points. Although the Pakistan government has already exempted new imports of such stuff as may be used for relief against certification of the Federal Relief Commission, availability of material newly ordered for import will take at least month and a half from Nov 1 (the date of the relevant notification), whereas erection of shelters cannot be delayed for a moment. The answers is to use available stocks in the market.
For making the proposed shelters, deployment of skilled and semi-skilled volunteer craftsmen is also an issue as all men with know-how of erecting/fixing corrugated sheets are also among those affected and are busy in sorting out their own needs. Efforts should made to find and involve skilled persons from the less affected areas of Abbotabad, Murree, Kahuta and A.K. regions under the supervision of the army base camps now functioning in the disaster areas to start making shelters for homeless families on site.
Assuming that the roofs of half the number of houses destroyed by the quake were of corrugated iron sheets, these could be re-used by recycling on the spot and households that had earthen roofs and need new sheets should be aided by donors or assisted to purchase them. Time is of the essence.
M. ISHAQUE KHAN
Lahore
IT has been reported in the press (Nov 7) that hundreds of migratory Siberian birds flying from their northern habitat to the warm waters of the Indus delta were found dead at lakes Niriri, Shakoor, Shekhani Gharri, Ahmed Rajo and Zero Point and other areas of Badin district. Further that the district game warden when contacted confirmed the news and said that an international team of bird experts was due to reach the site to investigate the mysterious deaths.
Local district government officials confirmed that they were trying to get the dead birds clinically tested by medical laboratories to find out the cause of their death with reference to imminent threat of avian flu.
Surprisingly, another report has appeared (Dawn, Nov 8) with the caption “No bird flu threat along Badin coast”. In this report, the district authorities are quoted as saying that no dead bird was found at any lake of the district and that there appeared to be no threat of bird flu from migratory birds.
Further, that two live birds were captured and handed over to the wildlife authorities to get them checked for any infectivity.
The wildlife department, according to this report, has denied that any migratory bird carrying H5N1 has reached the coastal areas of the district. Their representative has further tried to justify his point by stating that it takes 25 days for a bird to reach these coastal areas, and infected birds could not fly for so long. The department has further claimed that birds carrying the virus could not survive more than a few falls and would die.
The above two contradictory accounts have created serious misgivings in the minds of the public as the problem is of great importance requiring very special attention. Whether the birds containing flu can fly for 25 days or can sustain the velocity of wind should be left for experts to decide. The point here is that the first report showed that several birds were found dead on lake sides and that needed a thorough investigation.
The avian flu strain H5NI, according to scientists, is similar to the one carried by birds which killed many people around the world in 1918. Experts now working on it believe that if this menace is not contained forthwith, it can create a modern pandemic killing tens or hundreds of millions of people.
In order to combat the looming threat, I suggest the following measures:
Those living in the countryside are more open to this hazard because they hatch birds for a livelihood and also migratory birds land in their vicinity. They need to be educated about the deadly effects of this virus if it mutates in the human body.
Veterinarians all around the country should be given special training and the latest information and equipment to check the virus and adopt measures to contain it.
Special medical teams at district level should be formed and equipped with the latest information, drugs and equipment, etc., and should be readily available for any help required by veterinarians.
Pharmaceutical companies should be approached for manufacturing and making available anti-virus drugs to combat avian flu in humans.
ALTAMASH MANZOOR
H. KURESHI
Karachi
“NATURE’s inexorable law is the survival of the fittest, and we have to prove ourselves fit for our freedom. You have fought many a battle on the far-flung battlefields of the globe to rid the world of the fascist menace and make it safe for democracy. Now you have to stand guard over the development and maintenance of Islamic democracy, Islamic social justice and the equality of manhood in your own native soil. You will have to be alert, very alert, for the time for relaxation is not yet there. With faith, discipline and self-devotion to duty, there is nothing worthwhile that you cannot achieve.”
Thus Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah addressed armymen at Malir in February, 1948. And that is one of the central ideas worked out for the training of soldiers who have to defend the borders of the motherland, work for the welfare of the nation in peacetime and come to the rescue and relief of the citizens if there is any calamity. Enthusiasm and hard work under the unity of command have always been a source of pride and honour to the officers and men of the armed forces, and one can say quite frankly that the Pakistan Army has earned a good reputation as the world’s finest soldiers.
They have always stood by the masses and put in their best during floods, famines, epidemics and other calamities. And that is what is expected of them by the nation. They are doing it now in Azad Kashmir, in Hazara division and the Northern Areas of Pakistan after the deadly blow of the October 8 earthquake. At least 450 army men on duty were among the casualties of the quake.
However, within the country and without, intentionally or inadvertently, there is an impression being created that the military response to the aftermath of the quake was slow and inadequate. An army officer or a general, even a cadet, basically is a soldier. And, as such, one can say that national defence, as well as rescue and relief operation, is the most important and primary duty of every soldier and the Pakistani soldier is performing this duty as successfully and efficiently as can be expected of a human being. And the Pakistan Navy and the Pakistan Air Force have not lagged behind in this mission. The agony suffered by the victims of the quake cannot be measured by any observer — be he Pervez Musharraf or a political or religious leader — but relieving it calls for concerted efforts by all.
HAKEEM JEE Via email
THIS has reference to Mr. Farhan Anwar’s letter (Oct 4). Having worked with the city traffic police, as a concerned citizen, for a couple of years, I would like to share my views with your readers.
The core issue with traffic management in Karachi revolves around three major components. First, the absolute ignorance of traffic rules on the part of motorists, motorcyclists and drivers of rickshaws, taxis, vans, trucks and buses and what not. Is is widely believed that many driving licences are issued without formal testing of the driver’s knowledge of traffic rules and his ability to adhere to them. We have got to revamp the driving licensing wing of the traffic police, making it impossible for anybody to get a driving licence without qualifying for it on merit. Those who have obtained their driving licences from other cities should also be made to go through the driving test and their licences be reconfirmed for use in the city of Karachi.
Second, the traffic police are mostly busy checking documents of trucks, buses, vans and motorcycles. They will never stop this exercise until we (a) compensate them with adequate pay and perks and (b) put them through a well-designed training programme to improve their competence and their mindset.
The third factor is the inadequate physical infrastructure of the city such as roads, intersections, diversions, flyovers, and underpasses which play a pivotal role in the traffic management of a big metropolitan city like Karachi.
Vehicular traffic has multiplied manifold over the past five years. Banks and leasing companies have financed motor vehicles at a much faster pace than the construction of roads, intersections, diversions, flyovers and underpasses in the city. This financing spree has played havoc with the physical infrastructure of the city. Either we stop registering more vehicles in Karachi or we come up with a plan to improve the infrastructure within a year.
Also, the provincial government must decide about who is to be involved in traffic management and who is to issue directives to the DIG traffic. One reads about directives from various authorities almost on a daily basis.
MUMTAZ A. PIRACHA
Karachi
WE are two women volunteers who recently returned from a medical camp in Besian, seven kilometres from Balakot.
Here is a brief report of what we saw at the camp, and areas where we feel further assistance is urgently needed. In the first phase, and within a few days of the earthquake, the camp — called the Khanpur relief camp — provided immediate relief and shelter to over 40 families, all of whom live in clean, well- organized tents, fully equipped with blankets and rations. There is electricity and a cooking facility for each tent. Each family has on average of eight members, the majority being the elderly and children (many are toddlers and infants).
The camp has two to three Pakistani doctors/specialists (volunteers) from Khanpur along with their staff at any given point, alongside 15 Cuban doctors and nurses who see at least 300-400 patients every day. The camp initially brought along its own supply of medicines, to which the Cubans then added their supply. In spite of generous donations from a nearby camp run by the UAE, this camp has less than a month’s supply of medicines left. It will need donations of antibiotics and medicines especially related to pneumonia and diarrhoea, incidence of which is on the rise.
Also, as temperatures drop, the next phase of reconstruction is a must, as the families need to light fires inside their dwellings to stay warm. Many of the survivors we spoke to want to return to their homes or what is left of them and re-build them. Some cannot because of landslides or lack of access to the area, but are willing to relocate to get through the winter. Others, still reeling from the disaster that has struck them and plagued with uncertainty and lack of decision-making, will most likely end up moving to cities further south.
In order to assist the Khanpur Camp, we introduced them to the TCF shelter model, which is being currently in initiated in numerous villages across AJK and NWFP. It seems because of its similarity to the pre-existing homes in the area, it has met with the general approval of the residents. The advantages of this model are that it can be built rapidly, costs less than Rs15,000, and can be incorporated later into either the larger permanent structure, or used as a cattle pen when permanent reconstruction begins after winter. It is also designed to withstand earthquakes, and can be built using the debris and rubble from the collapsed structures. Because it requires residents to collaborate in the building effort, it not only adds to a sense of ownership, but also economizes on the cost and labour entailed. For more details TCF can be contacted through their website.
The Cubans until we arrived were not being utilized because of the language problem. Volunteer translators especially women are needed as many of the Cubans speak some English. We also found that the women in the area will only see female doctors. Volunteer doctors, especially women, in teams of two women or husband and wife are also needed.
Donations of food rations, especially flour, ghee, sugar, tea, “dals”, salt, biscuits/rusk and milk are required. Water purification is a big issue. Sachets of water purification tablets are being distributed freely, but an explanation of how to prepare the water is necessary, and the volunteers should be given this task to explain to patients how to use them.
Contraception and women’s issues are many. Many women came to us asking us for contraception as they were desperate not to conceive in these terrible conditions. Many women are pregnant and will be delivering in the winter months. It is crucial to plan for some sort of makeshift (or hopefully permanent) clinics with maternity facilities in the areas after the camps start disappearing with the onset of winter. Right now the camps are many and have enough foreign women doctors to get by.
SHOMAILA L. MAKER
Karachi
CITIZENS have welcomed the announcement of compensation to the quake affected people. President Musharraf, at a high-level meeting, has decided to earmark Rs20 billion as compensation for the victims in the NWFP and Azad Kashmir. The amount will be distributed as Rs25,000 for each affected house, Rs100,000 for families that lost members and Rs25,000 to Rs50,000 for each injured person. As per reports a portion of the amount has already been released to the NWFP and AJK governments. The Pakistan Army has already begun to deliver compensation to quake survivors in Balakot.
Relief committees comprising civil and military officers and public representatives have also been constituted to extend monetary relief for loss of life and property in the October 8 tragedy. The relief committee, headed by a civil administration officer, has started providing financial compensation of Rs100,000 to the bereaved families. The government is also hopeful of a successful donors’ conference as international donors have so far pledged $2.45 billion.
MARYA MUFTI
Via e-mail
HOW much is Rs500 in comparison to the billions being presented to the president under the blaze of floodlights? To those at the Sindh Education Foundation who provide education and health services to the working and street children, it was no surprise: the voluntary contribution of these children whose families live below the poverty line is worth its weight in gold.
The president’s protocol officers would not consider having one of the these “smelly little fellows” hand over their cheque in person on behalf of their classmates at the SEF’s Child Development Centre. This amount of Rs500 was from their savings in their “piggy banks”.
PROF ANITA GHULAM ALI
Karachi
THE primary reason for the advanced stage of India’s high-tech industry is its Institute of Technology University. It was built with the financial and technical support of the US, Germany and the UK.
Why doesn’t President Musharraf ask these same countries to build a Pakistan institute of technology?
JUNAID AHMAD
San Diego, California
USA
I Recently came to Pakistan from Saudi Arabia to gain admission to a university. I have done my IGCSE in six subjects from Jeddah (five are a minimum requirement) and two A-level subjects as well. When I applied for admission at a Pakistani university they asked me for an equivalency.
I applied to the IBCC in Islamabad, for which I had to send my original documents and passport. When I received the equivalency I was astonished to see that they had deducted 10 per cent marks from all papers and overall lowered the marks to fit a qualification equivalent to that of the local intermediate humanities group, although my subjects were of the pre-engineering or science group.
After a host of queries I got a reply saying that I will have to do A-levels chemistry in order to get a pre-engineering equivalency, although universities in the Gulf area accept O-levels and A-levels in five and two subjects respectively. Even universities in the UK accept AS levels (i.e. half that of an A-level) without any objections.
I had to put a whole year on line in order to get an equivalency to that of pre-engineering as no university granted me admission in engineering. Even applying for a humanities field become impossible as because of the 10 per cent deduction in overall subjects, there was no way I could have made it on the merit list. But that was not all. After I finished my A-levels chemistry, I again applied for equivalency, this time from Karachi (paying new charges for that). I got back an objection letter saying that I would have to do Pakistan studies and Urdu from the SSC board or at O-levels since I had done A-levels chemistry from Karachi and Pakistani rules now applied to me.
Why this torture? Now again I have applied to various universities but continue to face problems related to the equivalency issue. What should I do now and where can I go if this remains the case wherever I go?
FARHAJ RASHID
Karachi
IN your editorial “Inefficient ATMs” (Nov 7) you have commented that the general public appears unaware that the banking ombudsman can redress their grievances against banks.
In this respect, we draw your attention to our letter (Sept 30) which outlines an array of measures undertaken by us to raise public awareness about the banking mohtasib’s function that became operational in May.
To date, we have handled over 700 complaints relating to a variety of issues, including ATMs. A greater awareness is envisaged in the days to come to project accessibility and outreach of the institution.
AZHAR HAMID
Banking Mohtasib, Pakistan,
Karachi
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