Pessimism reigns as quake families struggle to rebuild lives

Snow has begun to recede from lower-lying villages in areas around the quake-devastated town of Battagram. But, despite the help residents have received and the fact that most families have been able to survive the long, hard winter of the north, many remain pessimistic as to how they will rebuild their lives. Of the 325,000 inhabitants of Battagram district in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province (NWFP) at least 177,150 people were directly affected by the 8 October quake, which killed over 80,000, devastated the local economy and rendered millions homeless in the process. "We will start rebuilding our house in a few weeks. The snows should have gone by then," Asif Jan, 35, told IRIN. Asif and his family, including three children, have been living in one of the informal camp villages near Battagram since the quake, but he now plans to return to his village, located some 10 km away, to begin reconstructing his fallen home. But while a second tranche of funds from the Pakistani government for this purpose was expected soon, the question on Asif's mind is: "What will happen next?" In the desperately poor district of Battagram, where the unemployment rate is high, and the literacy rate is just 19 percent – well below the national average of 50 percent – most people depend on their livestock and small pieces of land for their livelihoods. However, many animals died in the 7.6 magnitude quake, land was damaged and the harvest for the year largely destroyed, since the shelters under which it was stored collapsed in most places. Asif lost a buffalo, and at least 10 goats – a devastating blow to the family. "We have become beggars. Totally dependent on handouts and food delivered to us by foreigners," lamented Salim Khan, in his 60s, as he gazes out sadly over the mountains that surround Battagram. For the intensely proud and independent people of the area, their plight is difficult – and in many ways humiliating. "Even our women and children stand in queues to receive bread or other rations. I never thought I would see this day," Salim said. He himself has worked for over 40 years as a stone crusher at construction sites and says: "I still work each day. But many men here no longer want to labour. They want everything just given to them. Their dignity has gone and when you lose your dignity, you lose everything."

A young child injured by the quake near Battagram in October

What most worries many victims, however, is the fact that they see no immediate means to find ways to support their families. Few jobs are available. The agrarian economy has been badly hit and with women still living in tents or makeshift shelters, men are reluctant to go to larger cities in search of work leaving their wives alone. Some aid workers share Salim's concern over the growing culture of dependence. "Many people are becoming used to food and other items of use, being handed out. It is not good to encourage this. 'Cash for work' programmes are a must now," remarked Omar Mujeeb, a banker who has been active for the past three months with local organisations working in quake-hit areas. International aid agencies too are acutely aware of the need to reduce dependence on international aid and to find means to enable people to rebuild their lives. "We will start the recovery operations by April or May, once the emergency phase is over. We also have to link recovery with re-establishing livelihoods, or there will be problems in the future," World Food Programme (WFP) country director for Pakistan, Michael Jones, said. The UN food agency is currently feeding about 1 million quake victims across affected areas in NWFP and Pakistani-administered Kashmir, but hopes this number will drop once winter draws to an end, by April. Aid agencies have also stated they need more funds if the operation is to be sustained and food delivery maintained to those that still need outside help. Meanwhile, Islamabad is putting in place plans to encourage people to move back to their home villages, from tented camps at lower altitudes. For this, home-building materials will be provided at higher altitudes to bring people up. They believe that once spring arrives, breaking up the camps will prove an important step in encouraging people to resume their lives and end dependency. There are also plans to put in place micro-credit schemes under which people across affected areas can replace lost livestock and other farming supplies. But for affected people, the situation remains difficult. Asif Jan at present has no means to buy food, clothes or other essentials. Indeed, almost all the US $417 he received from the Pakistani government in November 2005, as the first tranche of the almost $3,000 compensation pledged to each affected household, to enable homes to be rebuilt, has been used to sustain his family.

Following the quake, children were seen begging along the roads near Battagram

"What can we do? The children needed shoes and warm jackets and also food. It is impossible to simply beg for this or stand in lines for hours and hours hoping we will get a decent sweater at the end," Jan explained. Such a situation underscores the need to educate people on how to use compensation money, to distribute it only at times when it can be used for reconstruction purposes and to ensure that other schemes are put in place that can assist people in earning a livelihood. Some attempts at this are already happening, however. WFP plans to provide machinery for building purposes to villages and to train people in using it, allowing them to offer their services to others. Some local NGOs have already put in place small-scale income-generating projects, especially directed at women left on their own and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) is employing people, particularly the disabled and women, to make mesh baskets filled with stone that can be placed along roadsides to prevent further landslides. Many such landslides since the October quake have repeatedly cut villages off from main towns. This in turn has resulted in people being scared of returning home, afraid they will not be able to access food and other items reaching larger settlements. Yet the task of giving people back their means of livelihood, and with it their dignity, will prove a complex one, aid workers warn. It may take another full year before agrarian patterns return to normal, livestock herds are replaced and people like Asif Jan can continue with the life that slipped away from them as the October quake wreaked its havoc on their lives.