Water aid flows in quake zone

The future looks brighter for more than 41,000 people in remote mountain communities in Pakistan’s earthquake zone thanks to a determined drive to complete water supply schemes by one international aid agency before the onset of winter.

There is a flurry of flying pickaxes and scraping shovels as villagers carve a channel into stony earth to lay the grey, steel pipeline into the ground. It is the final section of piping to provide clean water to over 4,000 people living in the remote mountain village of Dandar near Balakot.

Villagers had been praying for this day to come. “It is a gift from God,” says Qazi-ur Rahman. “Allah has answered our prayers.” The piping of clean water to the village is life-changing for his family.

Dandar lies some 1,500 metres above the Saraash Valley, in North West Frontier Province (NWFP). Like dozens of mountain communities in the region close to the quake epicentre, it was hit by the full force of the South Asia earthquake just over a year ago. Every structure was destroyed: loved ones lost, livelihoods shattered – an entire way of life swept away the day the earth shook.

More than 75,000 were killed and some 70,000 severely injured or disabled in the earthquake. An estimated 3 million were left with inadequate shelter, most of them in need of food in the immediate aftermath.

The fragile infrastructure supporting the village was gone. With it the water supply and the single winding track cut into the side of the mountain giving jeep access to Balakot, the nearest town below.

Their homes and livelihoods destroyed, like most families in Dandar and the surrounding villages, Qazi-ur Rahman, his wife and eight children were evacuated to a camp in the valley below the winter snow line. Six months later they returned to the land of their forefathers.

Yet their arrival back in the village after the winter was a sombre affair. No smiles of celebration marked their return. Like countless thousands they had left the camps to return to the same devastation they had left six months previously. Only the weather was kinder.

The international aid community provided emergency shelter. Food was available in the valley below. But access to fresh water was the biggest challenge facing the village. It became an obsession.

Since April, a single water point has served the people of Dandar, diverted from a neighbouring community. For Qazi-ur Rahman it has meant a twice-daily trek of more than 1.5 km across perilous mountain paths and a back-breaking return with a couple of 25 litre water canisters across his back to supply his family’s needs.

Seven months ago there was a look of hopelessness in his eyes, as he explained he hardly knew where to begin in rebuilding his life.

Visit Dandar today and it is a different story. The reminders of those lost in the remote mountain areas can still be seen at every turn during the two-hour hike to the village; graveyards with row upon row of tiny mounds, marking the scale of tragedy in human lives.

In the distance the township of Balakot remains strewn across the valley floor, like a toy town of tiny bricks swept aside to total destruction by an angry child.

But now there is a new hope in Dandar. Following the additional challenges of August’s heavy monsoon rains in the area, bringing flash floods, international aid agency Oxfam has powered ahead to push for completion of 24 permanent water schemes across communities like this by mid-December.

In Dandar a distribution chamber with an intake from three mountain springs supplies a reservoir tank feeding 15 tap stands across the community’s four village clusters, totalling around 6.5 km of permanent steel piping.

Oxfam has worked closely with the community to assess its needs and plan the project in full consultation with the people of Dandar.

With labour provided by the village under the watchful eye of Oxfam project supervisor Nasar Ahmad, the scheme is now set for completion within the week. Additional toilet units, technical assistance and training for sanitation also support the project.

Saif-ur-Rehman Durrani, head of Oxfam’s operation at nearby Balakot explains: “Supplying permanent water to mountain communities is not always enough, which is why we support our schemes with public health promotion, training and the distribution of hygiene kits. Education forms a major part of the solution. We also provide child-to-child activities, supported by toys and uniforms - and have livelihood programmes too – all working closely with the community, identifying needs and practical, sustainable solutions for the future.”

In addition to Dandar, the agency has completed five other water projects in the region, at Siri Garhi Habibulah, Garlat, Sangar, Bangian and Paprang. And the race is on to complete a further 18 permanent schemes which are under way before the onset of winter. The total number of beneficiaries is 41,182 at a cost of around US $700,000.

“Water is like life for us. Without it we have no future. With the water comes hope and we are thankful that help has come through our brothers at Oxfam. Life in the village is very hard after the earthquake. But now it will be much easier. It is like a gift from God.” Qazi-ur Rahman said.

At Dandar, little Fatima Bibi already stands at the water point just a few steps from the family home, waiting for the moment the precious water will begin to flow from the tap.

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