Saqib Ahmed, Pakistan “I am still struggling to find a safe place to live”

"My house was severely damaged in the October 2005 earthquake. Some 15 months on, I am still struggling to provide my family with a safe place to live. Others in Shimlai, my village, face similar challenges.

“A few days after the quake struck, the government announced it would provide grants to all families whose homes were damaged or partially destroyed. Afterwards, a house-to-house survey was carried out across the quake-affected region to determine the amount of grant for damage incurred by the quake.

“In a house of six rooms, we are four brothers living with our families – altogether more than 20 family members.

“My home was categorised as partially damaged, making me eligible for a 75,000 rupee (about US$1,250) grant. In December 2005, we received the first instalment of 25,000 rupees, while those disbursements that followed were linked to the survey.

“In February 2006, I was the first person whose house was surveyed in Shimlai. However, almost one year on, I still haven't received any of the assistance money that was promised.

“Pakistani soldiers were tasked to fill in the survey forms with a variety of personal and technical information. But they made mistakes. Now, whenever I visit the relevant officials to pursue my case, I face numerous objections regarding incorrect information – misspelled names, mistakes in the writing of my ID card, as well as my bank account details. Over the past year, I’ve had to visit the bank at least six times in an effort to correct these mistakes.

“Going down to the city [Battagram] itself is a big hassle. It takes a whole day to go and come back and the transport costs are too high.

“I run a small clinic and a medical store. Combined with my brothers’ earnings, it is hardly enough for a modest living. And whatever savings we had, have already been spent feeding my family after the quake.

“We had pitched a tent in the courtyard to sleep at night, but as the winter has started we are back in the cracked rooms. Our children are afraid, but we have no other choice if we are to survive these cold temperatures.

“Even if I get the grant money of 50,000 rupees ($825), it won't be enough to put my house in order. The cracks of my house are beyond repair unless it is demolished completely and rebuilt. The cracks run right along the joint of the roof and walls.

“On my own, it’s impossible for me to rebuild my home. However, if everything goes smoothly, we’ll be able to rebuild our home to what it was over the next four to five years.

“If the government had provided us with construction material at subsidised rates that would have been of more help than providing grants through this lengthy bureaucratic procedure. At the moment, construction material costs, together with transportation cost, are too expensive to think of re-building.”

ts/mw