UPPER DIR, Sept 26: District Coordination Officer Ghulam Mohammad has said that he is kept in dark about the activities of various humanitarian and development organisations, busy in rehabilitation work in Upper Dir to help the flood-hit people.

Addressing a conference of humanitarian organisations here on Sunday, the DCO showed his displeasure over lack of coordination in reconstruction and rehabilitation work. He said that the district administration should be informed of all efforts being made by different organisations.

“At least we should know who is working where and on what schemes,” he said. The DCO suggested that the organisations should hold coordination meetings to let each other know about their efforts.

He said that all those organisations should also keep the administration informed about the work they had been doing so that it had an idea about the post-flood recovery efforts.

The conference was attended by United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs representative Saminullah Afridi, Executive District Officer (Health) Dr Hidayatullah and representatives Acted Pakistan, World Health Organisation, Sarhad Rural Support Programme, World Food Programme, International Committee for the Red Cross, United Nations Children Fund and Fatma Welfare Foundation.

The district coordinator of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan participated in the conference as observer.

The floods wreaked havoc in the district, killing 105 persons and causing loss of over Rs29 billion, according to an official survey conducted a couple of weeks ago. The funds are coming slowly through NGOs and government departments but there is lack of proper mechanism to restore the destroyed infrastructure.

An interesting situation was witnessed when the representative of Acted Pakistan said during the meeting that his organisation was working on 36 schemes of irrigation and water supply in Sheringal, Palam, Kalkot, Barikot and Patrak.

The DCO in utter surprise asked as to where those schemes were being undertaken. “Let us also know about these schemes,” he showed astonishment.

The Acted Pakistan representative corrected himself and said the projects would be launched from October 1.

Taking part in the discussion, Mr Afridi said that according to media reports relief goods were distributed on favouritism. He asked the humanitarian organisations to make sure that relief goods were not distributed on basis of political affiliation or favouritism.

He also urged partner organisations to help identify the destroyed infrastructure, particularly irrigation channels and water supply schemes. Make sure, he advised them, that the reconstruction of those schemes benefited maximum number of people.

Dr Hidayat asked the partner organisations to provide them with doctors and nurses instead of organising free medical camps. “We are in dire need of doctors and nurses at the district headquarters hospital and other health facilities. We request you to help us overcome the problem of medical staff shortage,” he added.

On this, the representative of SWSS said they could provide a doctor and 12 nurses besides funds and packages to 4,000 families.

The ICRC representative promised provision of medicines and water supply schemes to various basic health units.

The WHO official said that his organisation would provide medical kits worth Rs6 million to health department. He said they had already given 1,755 kits, and Rs4.7 million. He said that they had handed over Rs4.7 million to tehsil municipal administration Wari and Rs1.6 to TMA Dir.

Other organisations said they had distributed 900 food packages in different union councils.