Supplies for relief run short in major cities

Acute shortages of tents, bedding, matches, biscuits and many drugs continue to hamper relief efforts in earthquake-affected cities and towns in Pakistan, according to aid workers. Charity groups, nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) and individuals are working tirelessly to gather essential items but lack of transport is hindering distribution, despite the efforts of the government’s Federal Relief Commission (FRC), set up on Tuesday to coordinate relief efforts and an unprecedented public response. In the bustling military town of Abbottabad, 120 km north of the capital Islamabad in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), tea, biscuits, rusks, dried fruit, basic analgesics, sedatives, antibiotics and bandages are in extremely short supply. Tents, quilts, blankets, plastic sheets and other items are even scarcer. Similar shortages exist across the country, aid workers said. Pop singer Fakhar-e-Alam, who has organised a large-scale relief effort in Karachi and sent items and volunteers across the country, told IRIN: “There are no tents available anywhere in Pakistan. We are asking people to buy large plastic sheets and have metal eyes affixed to them so they can be tied with ropes.” The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Islamabad confirmed the shortage of tents but said more would be brought in as soon as possible. With individuals and organisations still busy collecting items, many have placed special orders with bakeries to prepare more biscuits and bread. Others have demanded government action to ease the situation and, in particular, to address the long-term need for medications. Zaman Khan, an activist with the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), said: “They should open borders with India in terms of trade and at least allow essential medications to come in. This would also solve the issue of rising prices due to falling supplies and high demand.” Maj-Gen Shaukat Sultan, a spokesman for the Inter Services Public Relations unit (ISPR), said: “We are aware of the problem. Not that many tents are made in Pakistan. We are now obtaining them and also other items, from outside the country.” In Lahore and other cities, shortages of matches, biscuits, drugs, warm clothing and blankets are so acute, charities have appealed to members of the public for donations. But even as the drive to collect these items continues, other groups warn there will be difficulty storing and distributing them where they are most needed. In Abbottabad, there are few, if any, trucks and other vehicles to take the items to the stricken areas. The same holds true for Islamabad, and even in Lahore and Karachi there is a severe shortage of transportation, aid workers say.