Shelters for 35,000 Pakistani earthquake survivors have been "winterised", but supplies to mountainous areas are threatened by rain and snow, which are cutting off key communication links, aid workers say.
The 35,000 quake-displaced people continue to live in 48 tented camps both in Pakistan’s North West Frontier Province (NWFP) and Pakistani-administered Kashmir, according to Jan Vandemoortele, United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator in Pakistan.
In preparation for winter conditions, aid agencies strengthened tents by covering them with wooden structures and a combination of plastic sheeting and corrugated iron sheets on the roofs.
But keeping the roads clear of snow and landslides remains a key challenge for local authorities and the international aid community 17 months after the disaster. Many quake survivors in remote mountain villages largely rely on supplies from low-lying areas.
"The winterisation [process] has been completed, but we are still monitoring [the situation] and prepared to deal with any kind of situation," said a spokesman for the Norwegian Refugee Council, involved in camp management in Muzaffarabad, capital of Pakistani-administered Kashmir.
Initial reports say that land routes heading to remote areas in Neelum, Jhelum and Leepa valleys in Pakistani-administered Kashmir had been blocked, while roads in the Siran, Kaghan and Allai valleys of NWFP were closed at several points.
The heavy rains and snowfall that began on Friday also affected telephone and electric lines in the area.
According to Monday’s weather forecast from Pakistan's meteorological department, unfavourable weather conditions were expected to continue throughout most of Pakistan's eastern Punjab province, as well as NWFP and Pakistani-administered Kashmir.
More than 80,000 people died and another 3.5 million were made homeless when a 7.6 magnitude earthquake ripped through 30,000 square kilometers of northern Pakistan on 8 October 2005.
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see also
Quake trauma could haunt children forever
Tented schools still dominate in quake area
Quake survivors battle elements
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