ISLAMABAD, Nov 22: Pointing out that an estimated 2.3 million quake-affected people are in need of food aid, the World Food Programme (WFP) and United Nations Children Fund (Unicef) have proposed a food voucher scheme for the most affected in the urban and semi-urban areas.

According to a ‘Rapid Emergency Food Security and Nutrition Assessment’ jointly carried out by the WFP and Unicef, 1.2 million people consume very poor diets while another 1.1 million get a borderline and unsustainable food basket.

General food distribution for 2.1 million people in rural areas at least until the end of March 2006 and a planned re-assessment in early 2006 to set a realistic timetable for shifting to more targeted interventions has been recommended in the assessment report.

It says that priority should be given to the roughly 200,000 people in the difficult-to-reach rural areas, particularly those that will also be partially or entirely cut off for months by winter snow from November onwards.

For around 230,000 people in the worst affected urban and semi-urban areas (with more than 60 per cent of houses destroyed), a general ration for the next three to four months has been recommended.

Cash-based interventions, such as cash for work, cash grants and income-generating activities, are considered more appropriate in other less affected urban and semi-urban areas where markets are more integrated.

The ongoing market analysis indicates that market recovery might be faster than expected, and trader activities may be inhibited if food is distributed for too long, so prices and markets should be monitored closely.

It has been suggested to give preference to households that have lost their houses. In addition, landless labourers and female-headed households should receive food assistance.

The provincial governments of AJK and NWFP as well as government of Pakistan have been asked to pursue plans to implement market interventions in the stricken areas.

Blanket supplementary feeding (fortified with micro-nutrients) for 280,000 children between six months and five years in rural areas has also been recommended.

Another recommendation is about introduction of therapeutic feeding centres in concentrated areas of affected populations.

The assessment also suggests continuing measles campaign for children between the ages of six months and 15 years with vitamin A supplementation, distribution of ORS through all food distribution points or depots at the community level such as shops, and micro-nutrient supplementation for pregnant women.

It noted that seed and other farming inputs are urgently required to enable farmers to sow winter wheat during the remaining planting season. Fodder and shelter for animals should be provided in order to prevent further depletion of livestock, and where this is not possible, de-stocking programmes should be initiated.

The assessment report also said a nutrition surveillance system should be established in the quake-hit areas. The vast majority of the population (88 per cent or 4.8 million people) live in rural areas, nine per cent in major urban centres and four per cent in semi-urban areas, mostly surrounding rural market centres.

Already prior to the earthquake, six out of nine districts belonged to the most food insecure parts of Pakistan, characterised by difficult-to-reach areas, small landholdings and very low literacy rates. NWFP and AJK are traditionally food deficit areas, supported by the government through market interventions and pre-positioning of food stocks for places cut off by snow during winter months.