QUETTA, Nov 15: The cold weather gripping Quetta and other northern parts of Balochistan has compounded problems of the already grief-stricken people affected by last month’s earthquake.

Chilly winds, which began blowing in Quetta and other areas on Friday night, pushed the mercury into sub-zero range on Saturday. The quake survivors in Wam, Warchum, Kan Depot, Gogai, Kawas, Soi and Ahmadon areas of Ziarat district had to spend sleepless nights in ordinary tents.

“Our children cry all night,” said Abdul Waheed, who has lost 16 members of his family in the earthquake. He said the ordinary tents provided to them could not protect them in the sub-zero weather.

“We need winter tents to protect ourselves,” Akhtar Mohammad said. He, however, said there was no shortage of food.

Children are falling ill and their number is increasing by the day.

“A large number of children suffering from throat infection and chest congestion are being brought to field hospitals,” a lady doctor said.

The health department denied reports about outbreak of any epidemic in the affected areas and said that four lady doctors and a physiologist were visiting the areas daily and providing medical aid to women and children.

Officials said the provincial government and the International Committee for Red Cross had sent 2,800 winter tents and Muslim Hands 800 ‘shelter houses’ to quake-affected areas of Ziarat, adding that the ICRC was also sending 2,000 winterised tents.

They said that Chief Minister Nawab Aslam Raisani had appealed to the federal and provincial governments, aid agencies and other organisations to send maximum number of winterised tents.

The officials said the public heath engineering department had installed water filtration plants in five areas to provide clean water.