General situation

The October 8 earthquake destroyed more than 203,000 dwellings and damaged an additional 197,000 to the point of being uninhabitable. Of the total housing, 84 percent was damaged or destroyed in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and 36 percent in North West Frontier Province (NWFP). Approximately 3.5 million people, 85 percent of whom come from rural communities, have effectively become homeless, with many living in tents not designed for freezing conditions or stuck in isolated areas that are hard for aid agencies to reach. An estimated 400,000 people are now thought to be aid-dependent in the highland zone (5,000-7,000 ft.).

According to the Federal Relief Commissioner, 53,850 shelters for survivors have been completed, and another 34,975 are under construction, while NGOs have also constructed more than 2,100 shelters. At lower altitudes, existing tents are being reinforced with additional insulation. Dry shelters in the lower regions will be constructed after December 15. Sixty-nine thousand tons of food, 1,700 tons of medicines, 676,701 tents and quilts, 4.59 million blankets and other items have been distributed through the Federal Relief Commission.

Marvin Parvez, Director of Church World Service-Pakistan/Afghanistan says, "The demand for winterized tents is bigger than the supplies available." For those reasons, CWS also began providing alternative shelter materials early on in the rescue and recovery mission." CWS is providing corrugated tin sheeting to survivors — some of which is being reused from the roofs of mud brick homes that are otherwise rubble following the quake. The metal sheeting is fireproof and can withstand strong winds.

Seventy-four field hospitals and 69 medical teams are operating in the affected areas, while 128,416 individuals have been treated at various hospitals, and 3,665 others were admitted to hospitals.

The UN children's agency has ordered 100,000 kits — containing shoes, jackets, scarves and other cold-weather gear — for children from 18 months to 18 years of age. Initially these winter kits are being given to children in remote areas and are also being dispatched to people living in the highlands. About 54,000 kits have arrived so far, with 30,000 being distributed in Bagh and 20,000 in the Muzaffarabad region.

Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) response

PDA is responding to the Pakistan earthquake as a member of Action by Churches Together (ACT) International and is supporting the ACT implementing member Church World Service Pakistan (CWS-P/A)

As of November 30, 9,373 families have been provided with shelter kits and 6,270 families have been provided with food packages. One basic health unit is operating in Rawalakot. CWS-ACT has provided 1,000 families with tents in Maira camp and is assisting 1,281 individuals at the Shohal Najaf tent village, where people continue to arrive in hopes of finding shelter and better living conditions as winter continues to set in. According to the registration figures from the families in the village, one-third of the families are from Jared, one-third from Muzaffarabad, and the remaining one-third from Balakot.

The CWS-ACT team met with the male representatives of the pre-defined clusters within the Shohal Najaf tent village. The main purpose of the meeting was to discuss environmental protection in the tent village. The present scenario of the management being handed over to the civil administration was also discussed, as the village's residents were greatly concerned about the situation.

The psychosocial care team met with the women representatives of the clusters in the tent village. The meeting was aimed at gathering feedback on how the women were adjusting to the changes in their lives after the earthquake. According to the team, the confidence level of the affected women is building, and their lives are gradually improving. However, the women report feeling uneasy and insecure over the change in the village management.

The team met with the new administration of the camp, mainly to highlight the role of CWS-ACT in the establishment of the tent village and to update the administration on the activities that have been initiated. The team also defined the role, partnership and collaboration of CWS-Pakistan/Afghanistan with ACT member Norwegian Church Aid and how the two have been working in close collaboration with each other.

A health and hygiene trainer has begun work to ensure that all health and hygiene aspects are taken into consideration in the Shohal Najaf tent village. She will be training the residents of the tent village in the coming days. The team has identified certain shortcomings in the village and has taken steps to resolve these issues, such as the need for a drainage line. The team has also identified garbage-collection points in the tent village to help minimize any prevailing health hazards.

So far, 60 latrines have been put up in the Shawal Najaf tent village. Twenty-nine washrooms have also been set up, and hygiene training is also being given to the residents. Five water-collection points are operational, and two have been separately erected for the use by women. Electricity has been provided to more than half the residents of the tent village, and work is still in progress. So far, out of the 13 proposed water and sanitation projects, seven projects in AJK and NWFP have been completed.

The CWS distribution team distributed 127 food packages to the most vulnerable people of Mera Amjad Ali, Chahamra Goda and Kangar Nakka villages, Mansehra district. One thousand tents have been dispatched to Maira Camp in response to a request by the army. The distribution team also carried out assessments in Balakot city and the surrounding areas. Another 100 susceptible families were identified and given coupons following the distribution team's assessments. These recipients were identified from Usmanabad village, Union Council Shinkiari, Mansehra district. On December 5, the CWS distribution team went for assessments and gave coupons to 141 vulnerable families in Kot Bahlla village in Union Council Talhiata, Mansehra district. The CWS team also carried out assessments in Badal and Kotla villages, Union Council Karori, Tehsil Oghi, Mansehra; 224 vulnerable families were issued coupons for relief items.

The army has requested 3,000 shelter kits — 1,000 for Maira Camp, 2,000 for Batgram, and 1,000 tents for Bisham.

Fifteen boxes of medicines were sent to the Rawalakot basic health unit as per needs. The medical team has estimated that an average of 200 patients are being treated daily within the unit. Some of the local residents have commented that this is the only operational basic health unit in which they can see a qualified doctor and nurse.

Meetings and visitors

The 20th meeting of the Pakistan Humanitarian Forum was held at the CWS Islamabad office. The latest updates from the participating organizations were shared, and deep concern was expressed over the rising psychological problems being faced by survivors. An expert from the Pakistan Meteorological Department reported to the forum that this winter is expected to be harsher than the previous one, especially in earthquake-affected areas, and will last until the beginning of April.

Mr. Petri Lehtonen from the Embassy of Finland and Mr. George Boota from the Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Mission visited the CWS-ACT tent village in Shohal Najaf and Maira Camp. The main purpose of the visit was to see where the tents donated by ACT member FinnChurchAid were being used and to assess the future needs of the earthquake-affected people.

To Pakistan index

To index of PDA current responses