Shortage of tents causes suffering

Seven days after the quake, people in Balakot, one of the Pakistan towns most severely hit by the disaster, are finally receiving food, water and some medical care. But as winter rains lash the area and lightning flashes across the night skies, thousands continue to lie in the open. Many have only a sheet, often stained with blood, to protect them from the elements. Others lie barefoot and families huddle together for comfort and warmth. The few hundred tents that have reached the area in the Mansehra division are guarded jealously by lucky recipients. In many cases, up to eight people squeeze under the canvas. While dozens of aid agencies, the Pakistan military and local nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) work round the clock amid the ruins of Balakot’s buildings - almost 90 percent have collapsed - people continue to demand tents. None are available anywhere in the country, aid workers say. Limited supplies in the markets of major cities have run out. Even flimsy, toy tents have been sent to the devastated areas and manufacturers of the giant, colourful canopies used for weddings have been asked to convert them. Thin, plastic sheets being used as alternatives have been torn apart by winds. Balakot resident Nazim Khan, 34, told IRIN on Saturday: “We need something to cover our heads. There is nothing to protect us. Every building here has collapsed and even the injured, small children, women and the elderly are lying under open skies. The conditions are adding greatly to the misery of even those who are uninjured, let alone those who have open wounds or broken limbs.” Maj-Gen Noor Hussain, in charge of the military relief effort in Mansehra, confirmed tents were desperately needed. “They are virtually the only item needed right now,” he said. “Without them we can do nothing to protect people. The real need in this whole area is to set up tent villages and get people under them.” In other parts of the region, there are similar demands. “We have finally reached the remote Jaboori Valley area and are unloading trucks,” Maj-Gen Hussain added. “But there are no tents and people are desperate for shelter. It is pouring with rain.” Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf appeared on national television to make an international appeal for tents. The UN repeated this request and pledged to have tents flown in. Pakistanis in the US, the Middle East and elsewhere have promised to send large quantities. But bringing in the tents will take time, relief workers said, while further delays transporting them to quake-hit areas can be expected, given the chaos on damaged roads leading to Battagram, Garhi Habibullah and other areas. Meanwhile, desperate villagers from remote northern areas have begun walking down the mountains to towns such as Balakot in search of shelter, adding to the homeless population and the pressure on aid workers. The situation in Pakistan-administered Kashmir also remained grave, with cold weather and a shortage of relief supplies aggravating the survivors’ plight. In Muzaffarabad, where about 80 percent of buildings have been destroyed and the rest badly damaged, many survivors are also lying in the open. Adding to the peoples’ discomfort is a shortage of warm clothing and blankets. Rob Holden, head of the UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) team in Muzaffarabad, told IRIN: “Roads are still not open and many of the outlying areas are still inaccessible. Shelter is [the most] immediate need - winterised and water-proof tents. “Access is getting difficult. We need more helicopters to fly the supplies to remote parts and small villages,” he added.