Winterised tents still in very short supply in quake zone

Farman Khan and his family are fortunate. They have a tent, into which they crawl every night, hoping to gain some respite from the icy winds that bring temperatures down to freezing point as soon as the sun slips behind the mountains. But the flimsy canvas shelter, which has served as home for Farman, 36, his wife Zakia, 30, and their three children since 14 October - a week after the devastating regional quake that killed at least 80,000 people - can do little to protect the family of survivors. The situation is aggravated by the fact that Zakia, and her eldest son, Babar, 11, both have broken legs which are still in plaster. Their limited mobility makes them more vulnerable to the cold. "I have been trying to get a better tent for nearly two weeks now. At present, all of us quite literally freeze each night – but we still know we are luckier than the many who still have no tents at all," Farman told IRIN at the large tent village he lives in at Meira, a small town located south of Battagram, 150 km north of the capital, Islamabad. Nearly 2,000 other survivors live at the same tent village, one of the largest in the area. But none of their tents are adequately winterised. Across quake-devastated areas in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province (NWFP) and in Pakistani-administered Kashmir, at least 390,000 tents have been distributed since the quake. Another 150,000 are still required for shelter victims. However, according to estimates by relief agencies, only a small proportion of these are winterised, or even protected with plastic sheeting. In some cases, amid the rows of tents standing in clearings across the devastated district of Battagram, incongruously cheerful, multi-coloured plastic tents, intended to serve as toys for children, can be spotted alongside the somewhat more sturdy canvas shelters. It is obvious they can offer even less protection to the people who huddle inside them as the sun sets. In the initial post-earthquake panic that gripped the country, volunteers and charitable organisations had distributed every available tent to survivors, believing they could offer at least some shelter. While the acute shortage of tents faced in the early days of the quake has eased off, the delivery of shelters that can protect survivors from the harsh Himalayan winter [something missing here??]. Those on the ground in the area say the situation is critical. "Just look around, there are hardly any winterised tents here and already snow is beginning to fall in areas of Allai, just a short distance away," Battagram District Coordinator Officer (DCO) Abdul Halim told IRIN. He added: "There is simply no time left now. People will begin to die of pneumonia, or develop frostbite, without shelter." Dr Abdul Jamil, United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) team leader in Battagram, warned that many deaths would take place unless people were provided with warm shelters. Like many others, he feared a second wave of deaths as the winter set in. The Pakistani military and international relief agencies have been better able to coordinate relief in many quake-affected areas over the past two weeks. They are well aware of the desperation of the situation. As part of a drive it has termed 'Operation Winter Race', the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has begun airlifting building materials, shelter repair kits and blankets to communities located at altitudes above 5,000 metres. The IOM plans to deliver 10,000 shelter repair kits in affected areas by the end of November, and believes this will enable survivors to construct rooms that can offer them some protection from the elements. Teams of Pakistani soldiers have been dispatched to areas most likely to be cut off by snowfall within weeks, to build 'warm room' shelters which they hope may help people stay alive through a winter that metrological experts say is among the harshest anywhere in the world. But, while the focus remains on high altitude areas from where affected populations have refused to leave, people in tent villages lower down, such as that at Meira, say not enough is being done to protect them. "We live under flimsy pieces of canvas, which are drenched even by a drizzle. Many of us heat bricks and stones to place in our beds at night to try and keep the children warm," said Hafeeza Begum, 56, who with her son and his family, lives in a tent in the devastated town. Gesturing towards the children, many with runny noses and hacking coughs, she said: "Look, they are all sick. They will only get sicker unless they can be kept warm." The fact that many of the children are still dressed only in thin cotton shirts, with slippers on bare feet, contributes to their worsening health situation. More than six weeks after the earthquake, shelter remains the most urgent requirement for survivors. Each evening, as the sun vanishes behind the horizon, people are reminded once more of this. "We wear every item of clothing we have all at once to keep from freezing. I rub the hands and feet of my wife and children to bring the blood to them – but when it grows colder, even this will not be enough to keep us alive," said Farman, as he adjusts the thin sheet of plastic lying over his tent. The increasingly desperate father hopes that changing its position will somehow provide some additional protection from the cold the family, like thousands others, so desperately needs.