PESHAWAR, Feb 17: A United Nations Joint Assessment Mission that began relief operations in the rain and snow affected areas of the NWFP has warned that road blockades could hinder rescue work.

The mission comprising personnel of various UN agencies on the second day of their three-day visit to the affected areas of the province, said that in Abbottabad disruption in communication network was hindering relief efforts.

Dr Quaid Saeed, coordination officer for the UN agencies, told Dawn on Thursday that they had received reports regarding the extent of damage in some districts. He said that several schools and hospitals had been damaged, whereas 37 road links to the affected areas were blocked in Abbottabad, where Rs 1.8 million had been distributed among the victims so far.

"A relief committee and complaint cell had been formed and helicopter was ready to drop foodstuff and relief goods in the inaccessible areas," Dr Quaid said. Clearance of roads, supplying of blankets, clothing, fuel and medicines were being supplied to the sufferers, he added.

In Mansehra district, where some schools and hospitals had been damaged, relief workers were facing immense problems to reach the people due to road blockades, he said, adding that helicopter was being used to reach the people.

The people hit by the rains and snowfalls in the Shangla district were short of food supplies and shelter, he said. According to him, most of the roads were blocked due to which it was difficult to contact the people there and start relief work there.

A total of 755,634 persons were reported to have affected, he said. The WHO, UNFPA, Unicef, Plan International, PRCS, SUNGI in collaboration with the district governments were carrying out surveys of the damage and relief work in Abbottabad, Mansehra, Kohistan, Battagram, Shangla and Lower Dir.

According to him, the recent rain spell, snowfall and landslides had caused immense damage. He said that at present there was no amount allocated by the UN towards relief operation, but said that the heads of the UN agencies would hold meetings and would decide about the action plan. But, first let's us complete the survey to ascertain the real damage caused by the rains.

"It would be decided after the completion of the survey that how to distribute relief goods and drugs among the people hit by the rain," he added. However, he said that the UN would try its best to meet the needs of the rain's victims.

The WHO sub-office for NWFP and Fata had been declared as coordinating cell for the activities of the UN mission, which would receive latest information from the districts and would pass them on to its country office in Islamabad.