Overview of earthquake and the context

Relief work and humanitarian aid are actively continuing in the mountains of Kashmir and North West Frontier Province (NWFP) that were ravaged by the earthquake in October 2005. A recent meeting in January, 2006, among donors and partners engaged in implementing relief efforts, provided a summary of the response and plans for ongoing recovery efforts. Generous giving by Presbyterians has enable Presbyterian Disaster Assistance to provide an additional $400,000 bring the PDA response to $705,000 towards the $5 million ACT appeal for this disaster. The lead implementing partner for this response is Church World Service Pakistan. (CWS/PA) in cooperation with Norwegian Church Aid (NCA).

Update on CWS/PA Program to date

Immediate emergency relief

Relief comprising more than 24,000 of the best quality tents along with plastic sheeting and blankets were distributed with the help of the Pakistani Army. CWS food packages were also distributed. These packages contained sufficient rations for one month and were far more comprehensive than the food packs distributed by other organizations. Warm winter clothes were also distributed – much of this was in-kind donations.

Deliveries could not have been made to these remote areas without the assistance of the army. Helicopters were used mostly as roads were impassable or non-existent. Snow and rain made the terrain more unstable, causing delays in deliveries.

Water and sanitation facilities were installed in the tent camps set up by CWS, and basic health units (BHUs) were also set up. The radio was used for counseling and comforting traumatized people outside the camps. CWS is also supporting a BHU mobile unit in cooperation with the Diocese of Peshawar. Marvin Parvez, director of Church World Service-Pakistan/Afghanistan made special mention of the good cooperation with the churches over this emergency response.

In-kind donations (clothing)

It is better to receive cash and buy items in-country. Importing items requires permits, customs and lots of paperwork. Furthermore, buying in-country has no significant negative influence on the economy (costs of oil and cement have risen marginally).

Fire hazard in tents

In camps above the snow line a number of “strong rooms” have been built that can be heated safely.

Challenges and gaps

97percent of needs have been met with only a very few remote villages where there still may be primary needs. No gaps at present, though some may appear as NGOs leave.

Psychosocial assistance

More and more seriously traumatized people are being discovered (estimated at around 180,000). CWS has augmented its team by training seven extra staff (local people). Referral of patients is difficult as there are few experts in the country. Also, many traumatized are far from the centers of assistance. CWS has two counselors per camp, but has no transportation to travel to the villages. United Evangelical Lutheran Church in India (UELCI) has experience to share here.

Men are also traumatized and should not be forgotten – CWS has two men working as counsellors.

Return of displaced persons

An example was given of the complexity of this when CWS organized representatives from eight different camps who originally came from the same area to meet to organize the return of the displaced to their homes. CWS is looking into relocation on a small scale.

CWS aims to carry out some sort of training for the military in humanitarian assistance. Distribution could not have taken place without the assistance of the military whose help was invaluable. However, the military are not used to dealing with civil society and camp management is not one of their strong points, as they are too quick to do things themselves rather than engage the camp population in discussion and doing things for themselves.

Ongoing recovery efforts

Denny Hamilton, Recovery Coordinator for CWS-Pakistan, introduced the plans for the recovery phase. CWS & NCA are focusing on two areas — Ballakot and Mansehra. In Ballakot 95 percent of the buildings were destroyed and the official death toll

Health and hygiene team at work at Shohal Najaf. Photo: CWS

stands at 13,500. The government has plans to restore facilities but not housing. There is a government compensation plan, but it remains to be seen what this will be. CWS plans to work closely with local leaders and committees. Maira camp in Ballakot shelters poor, diverse, jobless, tribal, conservative and traumatized people. They are also very courageous and resilient and capable of helping themselves with some input from outside. 193,000 homes were destroyed or damaged in Mansehra, and the death toll stands at 80,000. 844,000 tents are sheltering the population. The military has announced the closure of tent camps by March 31, 2006. However, NGOs realize that this is not realistic, as most of the people in the tent villages have no home to return to. They will need some place to stay for at least 18 months.

CWS-P/A and NCA are planning work in the following sectors:

• Health: restoration of primary health services and secondary referral systems, revitalization of the local health worker network and mental health.
• Livelihood: including income recovery & income generation projects.
• Governance: including disaster/risk reduction measures and community preparedness.
• Education: teacher training in disaster preparedness, and management and administration training.
• Psychosocial Support Services (PSST): including service in ten villages (especially Shohal Najaf), recruiting and training staff, community based support groups for both men and women, identifying those with serious problems for additional support.
• Capacity Building: at various levels throughout the program.
• Livelihood support: livestock program – goats, sheet and poultry.
• Housing Reconstruction: training on the construction of basic disaster resistant housing has already begun. Teams have to build a house to get their certificate, and training takes two months. It is planned that by the end of 2007, 4,085 homes will have been built under this program. The reconstruction centers are managed by NGOs in each district (CWS is currently lobbying for each tesil). A standard house will be 5 x 6 meters at a cost of around $1,700. The people will provide the labor. Each house will be provided with a septic tank. The first eight houses should be completed by March 31, 2006. There will be 144 teams of five persons. Priority for this housing goes to widows, the disabled and families who have taken in orphans.
• Water and Sanitation (watsan): community based watsan reconstruction plans linked to BHUs.

In discussion, there were questions and comments on a number of the sectors. In particular there were questions about the livestock program and the PSST program, where there were several offers of support, and on reconstruction standards monitoring. On the latter, the response was that there are no guidelines as yet. Currently the government does this, but it is not easy to get to many remote areas to check. Also the rather poorly paid officials are open to turning a blind eye or signing a certificate for money. CWS is currently looking into various suggestions for how to go about this. Meanwhile CWS is trying to educate people and give guidance.

CWS is working on assessments and on the recovery phase of the appeal. They envisage their work continuing in response to the earthquake for three more years.

Update on India CASA program to date

The Indian side experienced more or less the same extent of damage as in Pakistan (80 - 90 percent of houses destroyed), but the death toll was considerably less – around 1,500 dead and 7,000 injured. Nirmal Singh, Emergency Officer with CASA, explained that Indian administered Kashmir and specifically the “line of control” is an extremely sensitive location and there were initially delays due to the political situation. The army took the lead in relief work, although reluctantly.

Some of the challenges in the Indian response included:

• CASA had to re-establish links with partners
• Lack of committed agencies
• Little knowledge of organizations (risk of engaging with fraudulent organizations)
• Logistical problems
• Risks from fundamentalist groups
• Need for security escorts
• Groundwork for relocation of vulnerable villages
• Clear and people friendly policy on long term rehabilitation and reconstruction
• Unambiguous policy on the involvement of international/national NGOs
• Problem/solution mechanism needed for implementation

Mr. Singh reported that CASA had stopped work on November 24 because of the weather, but also because sufficient relief items had been provided. CASA did not intend to resume delivering relief items once the weather improved but look to the reconstruction and rehabilitation needs. Materials already exist and CASA plans to motivate people — through training — to help themselves and get started on the rebuilding.

In discussing the CASA’s future plans he mentioned the following:

• Reconstruction (core houses with disaster resistant features) and rehabilitation
• Training of local masons in disaster resistant construction techniques
• Vocational training and agricultural activities
• Community based disaster preparedness and capacity building

In discussion, the issue of government compensation was raised. In India it is clear that compensation for rebuilding will not be sufficient, therefore CASA plans to help people build disaster resistant core-shelters. In Pakistan, most of those rendered homeless are tenants, some are well protected by the Tenancy Act, others are not. CWS plans to assist the most vulnerable — widows, the disabled and families who have taken in orphans.

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