Pak quake survivors face 2nd winter in shelters

Danna (Pakistan), Oct 8: Zafar Iqbal had hoped to have finished rebuilding his house before snow covers the mountains of Kashmir.

But as the anniversary of the earthquake that destroyed his home and those of his neighbours passed today, Iqbal was resigned to spending another winter with his family in temporary shelter of stone, wood and corrugated iron sheeting.

''I couldn't get the money from the government in time, so it won't be possible to complete my new house before the winter. I will have to wait until spring to start work again,'' he said.

Iqbal's family survived the 7.6 magnitude earthquake that struck on October. 8 last year. Others were not so fortunate.

The earthquake killed around 75,000 people, including 1,500 in Kashmir.

When the quake hit the region, Iqbal was working in Muzaffarabad, Pakistani occuped Kashmir's capital, about 50 km from his village of Danna Payeen.

His wife and one of his five children were at home. A wall collapsed, narrowly missing them.

The government is trying to assist in the reconstruction of 600,000 new homes for more than three million people left destitute by the quake. It aims to complete the houses by the end of 2008.

The pace of the construction is being slowed down because payments of 175,000 rupees per homeowner are being dispensed in instalments, with periodic checks by authorities to ensure that new houses comply with earthquake-resistant design.

The government says only 35,000 people will pass a second winter in tents, but relief agency Oxfam estimated there were 1.8 million people at risk from cold and sickness, living in makeshift accommodation.

Staggered Payments

A year on, the Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (ERRA) says 95 per cent of those entitled have received some compensation, but only 30 per cent have begun construction.

In some cases, the second more substantial payment needed to construct foundations and a plinth has only just arrived, though some are still waiting.

The first instalment is just 25,000 rupees -- not enough to properly start work -- but the second instalment is 75,000.

Iqbal has built the plinth for his house according to government-approved techniques, but he thinks it could take as long as three years to finish the building.

''At least if there is another earthquake, we will have the time to run outside and save our lives. In the long term, this system will be for the best, even if in the short term, people are complaining,'' he said.

Iqbal's village is fortunate in that it has a masons' training programme run by a non-governmental organisation, the International Rescue Committee (IRC).

The aid agency has identified skilled builders, who then teach those who need to construct new homes how to do so using earthquake-resistant techniques.

The training is on the job, and lasts for three to four days. During that time, each team of around 20 people completes the plinth for two plots. In the case of widows in financial difficulty, the builders do the work for free.

Trainer Mohammad Kabir believes the scheme will raise construction standards.

''Before, there was no quality work. People used dry masonry methods (without cement) and just got the job done quickly. But that's changing here now thanks to the awareness provided by the government and IRC,'' he said.

''Without this, people would have just reconstructed according to the old design.''

Modification for Wood

The government-recommended building methods require the use of materials such as sand, cement and steel. Since these are not locally available in many rural areas, rising demand has pushed up costs. Transportation and labour have also become much more expensive, with daily wage rates jumping by three to four times.

''The government has set up construction hubs for procuring materials at a reasonable price, but essentially they are giving tax relief to private contractors, and this is not being passed on to customers,'' explained Naveed Nawaz, IRC's shelter co-ordinator.

''People are very frustrated with the situation, particularly transport, but it is difficult for us to help them with these market-related issues.'' ERRA has promised to change building regulations to allow the use of timber - easily available in mountainous areas -- to reinforce walls. But Nawaz said no design guidelines utilising wood had yet been issued.

Meanwhile, IRC has provided 3,000 transitional shelters to the community, and most families in Danna Union Council, which covers 34 villages and has a population of around 22,000, will have some form of interim structure to protect them from the worst of the winter weather.

''People really did not want to be in tents this year, but they will accept being in transitional shelters. Of course, what they really want is a house, but most have now realised that won't happen in time for this winter,'' said Suzanne Smith Saulniers, IRC programme director for recovery and rehabilitation.

Reuters