Road closure sparks shortage of supplies

Following last week's earthquake and reoccuring tremors, the blockage of a major highway linking Pakistan’s northern areas to the rest of the country has been causing havoc for local residents in Gilgit, who say basic supplies are running low.

"We haven’t been able to get many types of fruit and I’m losing around 1,500 rupees (US $25) per day in profit," a trader, Ibrar Rahimi, told IRIN.

Parts of the Karakoram Highway (KKH) have been blocked by landslides following the devastating earthquake of 21/22 November, which flattened villages in the Astor Valley, some 114 km from Gilgit.

Shortages have also meant price increases, and in central Gilgit tempers were running high when customers were told of them. "The price of onions and potatoes has gone up by a few rupees per kilo because shopkeepers say they cannot get hold of enough vegetables as the road is blocked. This is not fair on us," Akil Khan told IRIN.

"The road keeps closing and I can’t even afford to pay my rent of 3,000 rupees this month," a shopkeeper, Sher Afzal, said.

What started as a bad year for traders in this town has only worsened. Not only have they been hit by the pull-out of tourists from Pakistan following the events of 11 September 2001 but the continuing threat of earthquakes in this vulnerable region has left people wanting to leave the northern areas for the city where they can be safe and earn a living. "Our future doesn’t look very good here," Tehmina, a local resident, told IRIN.

Across the road from the fruit and vegetable stalls, a queue was beginning to form in front of a meagrely stocked butcher's shop. "We have too many problems here. Everything is in low supply. There are virtually no chickens left here and we only have goats to sell. I’m losing 3,000 rupees per day," Habibul Rehman, a butcher, told IRIN.

Nearby, a car rental company owner complained that he could not hire out any cars as fuel was running low in the city. "The cars have been parked for the past five days and my business is in ruins," Javed Khan, told IRIN.

"A truck full of goods is stuck on the Karakoram Highway, and the driver keeps calling me threatening to leave it there," a businessman, Muhammad Alam, told IRIN. "I just don’t know what to do any more. This earthquake has caused havoc for local businesses."

Meanwhile, the authorities have begun trying to clear the roads, but are entirely dependent on the level of seismic activity in the area. "We have experienced teams from the North West Frontier Province clearing the roads and they are doing all they can," Maj-Gen Nadeem Ahmed Khan, the force commander for the Northern Areas, told IRIN in Gilgit.

Local people have now resorted to walking on the highway for stretches of up to 40 km. "They are taking a risk as there are still landslides, and rocks are falling down onto the road," Alam said.

According to preliminary surveys, approximately 16 km of the KKH and 35 km of the Astore Valley road have been damaged. Assuming there are no more tremors, it will take between 10 and 15 days to clear each.